'Seongnam Missing High School Student' Kim Hweseong Found Dead After 7 Days Missing (Summary)

No Signs of Homicide or Wounds
Police Suspect Kim's 'Extreme Choice'

On the afternoon of the 27th, police moved to search for Kim Hwiseong, a student of Bundang Seohyeon High School, whose whereabouts have been unknown for six days after school dismissal on the 22nd, around Yuldong Park in Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] High school student Kim Hweseong, who went missing on the 22nd, was found dead in a mountain area seven days after his disappearance.

The Bundang Police Station in Gyeonggi announced on the 28th at 6:33 a.m. that Kim’s body was discovered near a walking trail in the mountain area close to the main gate of Saemaeul Training Center in Bundang-gu, Seongnam City.

At the time of discovery, Kim was found lying straight with a waste disposal bag covering his head. No external injuries suggesting homicide were found on the body. Additionally, no suicide note or similar documents were discovered. The police also reportedly secured black box footage showing Kim heading voluntarily toward the Saemaeul Training Center area.

Considering these circumstances, the police are placing significant weight on the possibility that Kim took his own life. A police official stated, "There is no evidence of external force exerted by others, and no wounds were found. At this point, it is presumed that Kim made an extreme choice himself."

Earlier, Kim sent a text message on the 22nd saying, "I will attend night self-study and come home around 9 p.m.," after which contact was lost. Later that day, around 4:40 p.m., Kim left school, recharged his transportation card, and bought a waste disposal bag at a nearby convenience store. He then purchased a book at a bookstore near Seohyeon Station before heading out to the street and moving toward a bus stop. Since the bus Kim boarded did not have an internal black box, his whereabouts during that time remained unclear.

From 10 a.m. the previous day, the police deployed about 180 personnel from three mobile units, along with helicopters, drones, and search dogs, to conduct search operations around Bundang Yuldong Park, Saemaeul Training Center, and Cheoneun Jeongsa Temple, pursuing Kim’s trail since the 23rd.

※ If you or someone around you is struggling with difficult feelings such as depression, you can receive 24-hour professional counseling through suicide prevention hotlines ☎1577-0199, Hope Phone ☎129, Lifeline ☎1588-9191, or Youth Phone ☎1388.

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