Missing People: 45,000 Genetic Samples Accumulated, But Adult Disappearances Remain a Blind Spot

More than 45,000 genetic samples have been accumulated since the DNA testing system was introduced in 2004 to help locate long-term missing persons.

However, it has been revealed that general adult missing persons are excluded from the systematic collection and comparison of genetic information.

In the wake of the recent Jang Mi-ran case in Jeju, experts point out that legal grounds must be reinforced to cross-reference genetic information between families and unidentified bodies in preparation for prolonged adult disappearance cases.

According to the 2025 Annual Report on Missing Children and Others obtained and analyzed by the Korean National Police Agency and the Ministry of Health and Welfare submitted to the National Assembly early this month, a total of 45,493 genetic samples were collected from the introduction of the genetic testing system in 2004 until last year.

The DNA testing system builds a database (DB) of genetic information from unaccompanied children, people with disabilities, and dementia patients living in shelter facilities, as well as their searching families, and compares them to find long-term missing persons.

Among them, 39,590 samples were from individuals searching for their families, and 5,903 samples were from guardians looking for missing persons.

Categorizing the samples of the missing individuals themselves, those with intellectual, autistic, or mental disabilities accounted for the largest share at 22,234 cases, followed by 16,867 children, and 489 dementia patients.

Cumulative genetic matches totaled 1,056 cases.

By category, there were 742 cases for children, 297 for people with disabilities, and 17 for dementia patients and guardians.

Newly collected samples last year stood at 1,658, a decrease of 562 cases (25.3%) compared to 2,220 cases in 2024.

Genetic matches also dropped by 61 cases (51.7%), from 118 cases in 2024 to 57 last year.

When the police collect genetic samples from subjects and their families and send them to specialized institutions for missing children and dementia patients, the National Forensic Service analyzes and manages the genetic information, cross-referencing it with the existing database.

However, under the Act on the Protection and Support of Missing Children and Others, this program targets children under 18, individuals with intellectual, autistic, or mental disabilities, and dementia patients.

General adult missing persons, such as those in the recent successive incidents in Jeju, are not included.

The National Police Agency's internal regulation, the Regulations on Handling Cases of Missing Children and Runaways, specifies DNA testing as one of the tracking methods to find runaways, who fall under the category of general adult missing persons.

On the other hand, the detailed clauses of the same regulation governing the collection of genetic samples and consent procedures apply only to children, people with disabilities, dementia patients, and their searching families under the Missing Children Act.

There are no specific regulations detailing under what requirements and procedures samples from general adult missing persons or their families should be collected, cross-referenced, and managed.

For general adult missing persons, whereabouts can mostly be tracked through mobile phone location data, closed-circuit television (CCTV), and credit card usage records, so the necessity to conduct DNA testing from the early stages of disappearance is not very high.

However, if a disappearance is prolonged or the person is found as an unidentified body, a need may arise to cross-reference genetic information between the missing person's family and unidentified bodies.

Jang Mi-ran (37), who went missing in Jeju last May, was found dead 104 days after the initial report, and a male missing person in his 60s handled by the same police officer was also found dead 51 days after being reported missing.

Given that general adult disappearances can also become prolonged and end in death or discovery in an unidentifiable state if the initial search window is missed, the necessity has been raised to clearly stipulate DNA testing and matching procedures for long-term missing adults in the law.

Lee Yoon-ho, professor emeritus of police administration at Dongguk University, noted, "There is a world of difference between being unable to take action due to a lack of legal grounds and having the grounds but failing to act based on individual case judgments. A system needs to be established to secure and manage genetic samples from families even in cases of long-term missing adults."

Currently, four bills related to the so-called Missing Adults Act containing such provisions have been proposed in the National Assembly, but all remain pending.

There are also counterarguments that since adults may voluntarily cut ties with their families or relocate, it is difficult to manage them in the same manner as children, people with disabilities, and dementia patients.

Experts point out that because genetic information is sensitive personal data, even if the system is expanded, targets should be restricted to cases such as long-term disappearances, and clear regulations must be established regarding who holds consent rights for sample collection, the scope of use, retention periods, and disposal procedures.

Safeguards to protect the missing person's will and privacy must also be established together so that missing person reports are not abused to track debtors or locate victims of domestic violence.

A police official noted, "While the Jeju incident could serve as an occasion to discuss institutional improvements, adults have diverse circumstances, making it difficult to track every report as if it were a criminal case."

The official added, "It is realistically difficult to handle tens of thousands of reports annually with the same level of search, and tracking locations without clear legal grounds could infringe upon the freedom of residence and transfer as well as privacy, so the targets and requirements must be set meticulously."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.