Seoul Subway Lost Items Total 101,000, 'Wallets' Rank 1 at 24%

Bag items decrease while wallets and clothing increase
65% personal retrieval rate for lost and found items

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul Metro announced on the 14th that the number of lost and found items collected from the Seoul subway last year was 101,523, averaging 278 items per day, with wallets being the most frequently lost item.

According to the corporation, the most commonly lost item by passengers last year was wallets, totaling 24,737 cases, accounting for 24% of the total. Mobile phones and valuables followed with 20,131 cases (20%), and bags with 14,785 cases (15%). While the number of other lost items slightly increased compared to the previous year, bags have been steadily decreasing.

By month, May recorded the highest number of lost items at 10,303, while February had the lowest at 6,743. Generally, the number of lost items tended to increase or decrease in proportion to the subway ridership for that month.

Among the found items, the corporation returned 66,426 cases to their owners. Additionally, 14,845 items are currently being stored, and 20,252 items were handed over to the police. According to the Lost Property Act, its enforcement decree, and other handling regulations, found items are registered at the station where they were found, then moved to the Lost Property Center for storage for one week. Items unclaimed after this period are transferred to the police station.

There were also many cases (1,168) of items dropped by passengers onto the tracks below the platform while boarding the train. Most of these were small items such as mobile phones (547 cases), electronic devices (126 cases), wallets (110 cases), and credit cards (28 cases). Among electronic devices, wireless earphones, which have recently become popular among passengers, were common.

Meanwhile, passengers coming to retrieve lost items usually express gratitude with warm greetings, and staff return the items with smiles, creating a heartwarming atmosphere. However, there are also difficult cases where passengers ask for help without providing information about the location or time of loss, or emphasize the importance of the item to them and demand retrieval in a high-handed manner, sometimes even shouting.

The corporation explained, "If you lose something in the subway, knowing the location and time of loss is most important," adding, "If you used a transportation card to ride the subway, presenting the card to staff allows them to estimate the train you boarded based on the times you entered and exited each station, enabling them to gather more information."

If you cannot find your item, you can search for it on the National Police Agency’s integrated lost property management website ‘lost112’ or the mobile app (lost112). Since station staff register all lost items found in the subway on the website, it is easy and quick to find your belongings. If you have been contacted to pick up a found item or discovered your lost item through lost112, you should bring an ID that proves you are the owner and visit one of the four subway Lost Property Centers located on each line.

The Lost Property Centers located at City Hall, Chungmuro, Wangsimni, and Taereungipgu also offer a T-Locker service for storing items. You can retrieve your lost items anytime during subway operating hours.

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