"Over 70,000 Adult Missing Person Reports Annually...99% of Cases Closed Within a Month"

Nearly Half of Cases Closed Within an Hour Last Year
Concerns Raised That Frontline Police May Underestimate Risks

The number of adult missing person cases reported to the police has exceeded 70,000 annually. Of these, 99% were closed (resolved) within one month after investigation and inquiry.

On the 24th, the body of Jang Miran, who had been missing for several months, was found in Hallim-eup, Jeju City. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

According to Yonhap News Agency on August 24, analysis of materials submitted by the National Police Agency to Assemblyman Jeong Chunsaeng of the People’s Innovation Party, a member of the National Assembly’s Public Administration and Security Committee, showed that the number of general adult missing person reports categorized as “runaways” by the police was around 70,000 cases each year.

Nationwide, there were 74,936 runaway missing person reports in 2022, 74,847 in 2023, 71,854 in 2024, and 70,814 last year. As of July this year, 41,894 cases have been reported.

Most of these cases are closed within a short period of time. In 2025, 48.1% were resolved within 1 hour, 64.9% within 3 hours, 75.2% within 6 hours, and 82.9% within 12 hours.

Within one day, 89.4% of cases were resolved, 93.9% within two days, and 95.1% within three days. The number rose to 97.1% within one week, and up to 99.0% within 30 days.

Since a large number of missing person reports are filed annually and most are resolved in a short period, some point out that frontline officers may be inclined to underestimate the risks involved in each individual case.

In particular, if there is no immediate evidence of criminal involvement or risk of suicide, police may be inclined to treat ordinary adult cases as either simple runaways or lost contact. However, if the initial assessment is mistaken, the vital “golden time” for a search can be lost.

Recently, in Jeju, the investigation of a woman in her 30s who went missing and was found deceased again highlighted the importance of location verification and safety checks during the early stages of a missing persons case, amid allegations that her case had been falsely closed.

The missing person report was filed on May 15, but Officer A, who was in charge, closed the case in just two and a half hours, claiming contact had been made. Subsequently, 104 days later, at around 10:46 a.m. on this day, a body presumed to be the missing woman was discovered at a palm farm in Hallim-eup, Jeju City. The site where the body was found is only about 400 meters from the accommodation where the missing woman had been staying long-term, a 10-minute walk away.

Another missing person, referred to as Mr. B, whose case was also closed as “safe” by Officer A, was in fact still missing, and after a renewed report and search efforts, Mr. B was found dead on the 51st day of his disappearance, on the 22nd of this month. Officer A is accused of falsely closing both cases without properly confirming the location or safety of the missing persons.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.