In March 2024, a South Korean man in his 30s working at a local casino in the Philippines went missing.
An acquaintance reported that he could not be reached at the diplomatic mission, and although the host country's national police and immigration bureau subsequently launched a search for Mr. A, he remains a long-term missing person after 2 years and 7 months.
According to data submitted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the office of People Power Party lawmaker Kim Dae-sik, the number of overseas South Koreans whose disappearances were reported abroad but whose whereabouts remain unverified, leaving their cases unresolved, stood at 66 in the first half of this year.
The vast majority of them, 60 individuals, were concentrated in the Asia-Pacific region, while Europe and the Americas accounted for 4 and 2 individuals, respectively, whose whereabouts remain unconfirmed.
The number of missing overseas Koreans has increased sharply since last year.
There were 13 in 2023 and 12 in 2024, but the figure surged to 88 last year.
Similarly, the majority of them went missing in the Asia-Pacific region.
The number of overseas Koreans reported missing to diplomatic missions due to lost contact or suspected disappearance reached 1,002 in the first half of this year.
Last year, the figure was 2,346, compared to 1,372 in 2024.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that it is making continuous efforts to verify whereabouts by requesting confirmations from relevant authorities such as the host country's national police and immigration bureau, conducting interviews with related parties, and cooperating with the Korean community to resolve missing persons cases.
(Reported by Jung Da-eun, Video by Kihyun, Design by Sumin, Produced by SBS Digital News)
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