Vanishing People: The 'Gakseolsi' Who Has Spent 35 Years Tracking Missing Persons

"When adults go missing, you cannot even put up flyers or go out searching for them. That is how most of the cases I have seen went."

During an interview with the press on the 26th, Na Joo-bong, head of the National Association for Finding Missing Children and Family, expressed these difficulties in tracking missing adults.

He explained that people hesitate to act due to cynical reactions like "They must have left home for a reason," or because of the intense public attention missing persons face if their personal details spread when they eventually return.

Na, formerly a "gakseolsi" (traditional Korean wandering entertainer) who traveled around the country selling cassette tapes from his truck, accidentally began this work in 1991 when he ran into parents of the "frog boys" victims handing out missing person flyers on the street.

The exhausted and emaciated faces of the parents handing out flyers left a deep impression on his heart.

Na took the flyers from the parents and began handing them out alongside them.

That was the day his journey of tracking missing persons began.

As word spread about his dedication to finding the "frog boys," other parents who had lost their children rushed to seek his help.

Faced with an endless stream of phone calls and constant visitors, he ran around tirelessly searching for missing people.

At one point, he sold roasted chestnuts while attaching missing person flyers to his truck, but since it was not enough to make a living, he started working in insurance.

Although he tried to sustain his livelihood by opening a cold noodle restaurant near his office, he expressed deep feelings of apology and gratitude toward his family.

He stated, "Over the past 35 years, I have contributed to helping some 800 missing persons return to the arms of their families."

As if reflecting the years he has spent chasing missing persons, the container office of the National Association for Finding Missing Children and Family, tucked away on a roadside in Cheongnyangni, Seoul, was completely covered with missing person flyers.

His activism also significantly contributed to the enactment of the Act on the Protection and Support of Missing Children in 2005.

Having argued since the enactment of the Missing Children Act that missing adults also need legal protection, Chairman Na finds the recent missing woman case all the more painful.

He recalled 2006, when family members of victims of serial killer Kang Ho-soon sought him out.

The daughter of Bae, who went missing at the time and was 45 years old then, reportedly came to him and pleaded while crying.

Witnessing such a scene, he made a comparison, saying, "Just as a mother who lost her young lamb must be grief-stricken, isn't a lamb that lost its mother equally sorrowful and suffering?"

Having witnessed the pain of families with missing adults, he emphasized, "Using this Jeju case as a turning point, laws related to missing adults must be swiftly enacted so that missing persons can be found quickly."

Realizing the severity of missing adult cases, he even carried out a bold experiment in 2013.

On a day he promised to have lunch with a police officer belonging to the Yongsan Police Station, he decided to turn off his mobile phone and "self-disappear."

Because he kept it hidden even from his family, his disappearance caused utter chaos among those around him, including the police.

Although the missing person case concluded after about 30 hours when Chairman Na contacted the police the next evening, he has continued to raise his voice for the enactment of related legislation ever since.

He also stressed that strengthening the expertise of dedicated police units is necessary to solve the issue of missing adults.

"Regarding missing persons, we need to allow officers to stay on the job for 5 or 10 years to foster expertise," Na advised, adding, "We should also consider offering rewards for finding long-term missing persons."

At the same time, he mentioned that compared to 1991 when he first started his activities, the system for finding missing persons has advanced considerably.

Back then, when there were not even proper laws in place, footsteps of people carrying backpacks full of flyers never stopped as they begged him to find their children.

While public interest in missing children has grown following numerous missing person cases, Chairman Na says that resolving missing adult cases still has a long way to go.

There are still people asking him for help to find family members that public authority failed to locate.

Not long ago, he received a letter from an inmate in a prison asking him to "find my lost parents."

"Until humanity perishes, missing person cases will occur endlessly," he said, adding, "We must promptly begin a complete census on missing adult cases."

Chairman Na also emphasized firmly, "I believe that only when the citizens become eyes and look around their surroundings can our beloved family members return home."

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