Dramatic Reunion with Son Missing for 28 Years... Police 'Missing Person Profiling' Made It Possible

Namyangju Police Station. [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Soyoung] A family who had been separated for 28 years after their 11-year-old son went missing shared the joy of a dramatic reunion thanks to the police's efforts.

According to Namyangju Nambu Police Station on the 3rd, Mr. A (40) went missing in July 1993 in Yangju City (then Yangju County).

Mr. A had a disability due to aftereffects of a traffic accident that occurred before his disappearance, and he had left home and returned before, but after going missing at that time, he did not return home.

His family reported to the police, but the investigative capabilities and technologies such as genetic analysis at the time were insufficient. They searched nationwide to find Mr. A but could not even confirm whether he was alive.

Mr. B (43), Mr. A’s older brother, who had resigned himself to the belief that his younger brother had died, visited the police station in April with a last hope and filed a missing person report.

The police missing persons investigation team found a man in a care facility whose personal information matched 50% with Mr. A through similarity matching inquiry using the police profiling system. The missing person profiling system is a system where information such as fingerprints and photos of children or elderly people is pre-registered to quickly identify personal details in missing person cases. It also registers photos, disappearance periods, and clothing of residents in care facilities.

The police collected DNA from Mr. A’s mother, Ms. C (60), and after testing, confirmed that the man was indeed Mr. A.

On the 2nd, Mr. A’s family met at the Namyangju Nambu Police Station Criminal Division office for the first time in 28 years, embraced each other with tears, and held hands tightly as they returned home together.

A police official stated, "We will continue to make efforts by organizing a dedicated missing persons investigation team so that missing persons can return to their families."

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