15-Year Veteran Private Detective: “For Missing Adults, the Reporting Golden Time Is Just 6 Hours”

"Disappearances Mostly Occur at Night... Act as Quickly as Possible"

"No Laws for Missing Persons... Need for Legislation on Missing Adults"

Amid controversy over the false closure of a missing persons case in Jeju, a private detective with 15 years of experience has introduced ways to respond when an adult goes missing in South Korea. He also called for improvements, stressing that the country currently lacks adequate laws pertaining to adult missing person cases.

Byungsoo Lim, a private detective with 15 years of experience, said in an interview with BBC News Korea on September 4 (local time) that he wanted to explain proper response methods for families when an adult relative goes missing. He emphasized the urgency of prompt reporting if a disappearance is suspected, saying, “While the police refer to the golden time as 48 to 72 hours, I always consider it to be within 6 hours.”

Private detective Byeongsoo Lim. Screenshot from BBC News Korea

Lim explained, “If an actual crime did occur and someone drove for 6 hours, they could easily reach or go beyond Busan. As most disappearances happen at night, you also can’t rely on a cellphone battery lasting that long. It is extremely important to report the case as quickly as possible.”

He also advised that after filing the missing persons report, “You should document the officer’s department, phone number, name, and also keep a written record of the report number.” Even if you are informed by police that they have made contact with the missing person, he added, “If it was through a police-issued phone, shouldn’t there be a recording? Ask for the data, request to see the text messages, and always verify specific evidence.”

Lim argued that this incident demonstrates the need for institutional improvements regarding adult missing persons cases. He said, “The police only act according to the law. There are no laws regarding missing persons. The government must enact a law specifically for missing adults.”

Meanwhile, in response to this incident, the Korean National Police Agency plans to launch a dedicated task force for police reform. According to Yonhap News on September 6, the National Police Agency announced that it would establish the ‘Police Reform Task Force’ to thoroughly review the organization, institutions, and on-site work procedures from scratch before implementing strong reforms. The agency emphasized that the establishment of the Police Reform Task Force is intended to keep their promise of fundamentally reforming the police.

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