"Checked Surroundings"... Convenience Store That Protected Lost Missing Child

CU Staff Yoon from Cheongju, Chungbuk Protects Missing Child Around 6 AM
Quick Report Maintains 2-3 Hour Golden Time for Missing Child

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-sun] Convenience stores are playing the role of child protection centers.

According to CU on the 11th, around 6 a.m. on the 8th, a boy named A entered a CU store located in Cheongju City, Chungcheongbuk-do. At that time, Cheongju was experiencing a record-breaking cold wave with the lowest temperature dropping to minus 18 degrees Celsius, and the snow that had accumulated overnight had not melted, making it a truly severe winter cold. However, A was dressed without even a coat. Yoon (59), a staff member working the night shift, saw A enter the store and immediately brought the child inside the counter area where a warm heater was located.

A CU official explained, "We asked for the home address and parents' contact information, but since the child was too young to remember, Yoon immediately reported A as missing to the police." The official added, "The parents, who were desperately searching the neighborhood several times, received a call from the police that their child was being protected at a nearby CU and rushed over to take A back."

On the same day, a similar case occurred in Seoul. A citizen found a girl named B wandering on snowy streets after sunset, crying in her underwear. The citizen took the child to a nearby CU. The citizen and the child were able to meet the police who arrived after receiving a report from CU.

BGF Retail, which operates CU, launched the industry's first missing prevention reporting system called 'iCU,' which uses nationwide store infrastructure to protect lost children (including those with intellectual disabilities and dementia) and hand them over to the police or family. Through this system, over 80 children have safely returned to their families in the past three years.

Since last year, 'iCU' has added a child abuse crime reporting function that allows store employees to report suspected child abuse situations more quickly to the police via the POS (point of sale) terminal, establishing a comprehensive child protection network.

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