"I'll Buy You Ice Cream"... Parents Worried as Suspicious Adults Lure Elementary Students in Gimhae

Not directly related to the incident. [Image source=Pixabay]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] Recently, concerns among parents have been rising as circumstances have emerged indicating that unidentified adults attempted to lure students near an elementary school in Gimhae, Gyeongnam. In response, the police have launched an investigation to identify these individuals.

According to the police on the 19th, on the 11th, a parent of a student at a certain school informed the homeroom teacher that their child was nearly lured on the way home from school.

In response, the school notified the school police officer the next day, the 12th, and requested increased patrols around the school. Additionally, a full survey was conducted targeting all students, which revealed that a total of six students, mainly in the lower grades, experienced similar incidents.

These students reported that one adult male or one adult female said things like "I will buy you ice cream" or "Let's go see a cat," and some stated that they were pulled along without any words. However, some were unable to specify exact ages or times.

Fortunately, there have been no cases so far that escalated to actual crimes such as abduction.

After receiving the report, the police are currently analyzing CCTV footage around the school and plan to handle the matter by determining whether the adults who approached the students had criminal intent once their identities are confirmed.

Some parents who heard the news expressed concerns such as "We need to pay more attention to the children's commute to and from school," "I don't know what their intentions were," "We must firmly educate the children," and "I was very shocked to hear this." They also voiced anxiety over the fact that the details of the incident have not yet been clearly revealed.

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