▲ A screenshot of a post outlining the '10 Commandments for Reporting a Missing Person When a Family Member Loses Contact'
"If you are told that contact has been made, ask clearly for the grounds behind it."
This is the 8th rule of the "10 Commandments for Reporting a Missing Person When a Family Member Loses Contact," which has recently been shared on social media. It emphasizes that when law enforcement informs families that "contact has been made with the missing person," they must re-verify the specific circumstances by actually checking whether they spoke with or met the person face-to-face to confirm their safety.
Following the "Jeju missing person case," which sparked controversy after police arbitrarily closed a missing person report, posts containing self-defense guides—ranging from missing person response tips and locating CCTV cameras along family travel routes to safety inspection guidelines for local police substations before moving—have been gaining widespread attention online.
Experts pointed out that this phenomenon stems from growing distrust in police responses, adding that overall improvements to the missing person investigation system are necessary.
Recently on X (formerly Twitter), a post featuring the "10 Commandments for Reporting a Missing Person" garnered about 1.6 million views, receiving a massive response.
The rules include 10 tips for reporters to actively monitor the investigation process and leave evidence, such as ▲ recording the 112 receipt number and officer information, ▲ demanding a "missing person" report rather than a simple "runaway" case, and ▲ securing recordings and face-to-face verification when police announce the closure of a case.
Lim Byung-soo, standing representative of the KCI Korea Private Investigator Federation (with 15 years of experience), who wrote the rules, explained in a phone interview, "Unlike children, there are no specific laws regarding missing adults, which leads to passive responses or arbitrary closures in the field. The commandments reflect the reality that reporters must protect themselves during the initial golden time."
Another post titled "5 Ways to Handle a Family Member Losing Contact," which advises against passively waiting after reporting to the police, has also surpassed 170,000 views.
It includes advice on how reporters should quickly document and provide key clues to law enforcement, such as screenshots of the missing person's last call logs, physical descriptions, and movement routes.
Interest has expanded beyond missing person responses to "everyday self-defense measures" aimed at independently verifying the safety of one's residence and travel routes.
One such method is utilizing the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's "Safety Map" service.
The Safety Map allows users to look up the locations and managing authorities of crime prevention and traffic CCTV cameras as well as security lights, enabling them to check in advance whether such facilities are present along their children's or family members' nighttime commutes.
A Blind post titled "Things to Consider When Moving," presumed to have been written by a police officer four years ago, has also recently resurfaced in online communities.
The post suggests that the level of neighborhood security can be gauged by the number of patrol cars and the response attitude of officers when visiting the local police substation, encouraging people to personally evaluate the security conditions of their prospective living areas.
Netizens expressed bitter reactions, commenting, "I'm saving this post just in case something like this happens to me, but it's absurd," "Has public safety broken down to the point where we even have to figure things out like this?", and "It's regrettable that people have reached a point where they can't trust the police this much."
Experts analyzed that this phenomenon clearly reflects public anxiety over missing person incidents and a deep distrust in the public safety system.
They emphasized the need for transparent disclosure of the entire process from receiving a missing person report to its closure, as well as legislation to institutionally guarantee location tracking and investigation authority for missing adults.
Lee Woong-hyuk, a professor of police science at Konkuk University, diagnosed, "The heightened interest in self-defense measures for public safety is rooted in distrust toward the police."
He added, "Ironically, while this serves as an occasion to raise awareness that missing persons issues are not someone else's problem, it can also be seen as a sign of collective 'moral panic' that goes beyond individual anxiety."
Kwak Dae-gyung, a professor at Dongguk University's Police Administration College, also pointed out, "The fact that self-defense rules are spreading online and drawing attention is proof that the public's level of anxiety regarding missing person cases is quite high, and it marks the starting point for discussions on countermeasures."
He urged that the authorities' measures must not be fragmentary.
Kwak suggested, "Instead of coming up with stopgap prescriptions like presenting detailed guidelines one by one or improvisationally recruiting personnel, we must closely analyze missing person occurrence trends by season and region using objective data. Comprehensive and fundamental improvements to missing person investigations based on government-led, objective empirical studies must be established."
(Photo: Screenshot of X post 'gaechinso', Yonhap News)
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