Family of Gwangju Elementary Student Missing After Field Trip... No News for Four Days

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] The police investigation into the family of an elementary school student from Gwangju who went missing in Wando, Jeollanam-do after going on an outdoor experiential learning trip has been ongoing for four days.

According to the Gwangju Nambu Police Station on the 25th, the missing report for Jo (10) and her parents, a family of three, was received on the 22nd.

Currently, police investigations are being conducted simultaneously in Gwangju, where the family resides, and Wando, their last known location.

The Gwangju Nambu Police Station is focusing on tracking the whereabouts of Jo’s family, while the Wando Police Station is concentrating on tracing the location of the family’s passenger car.

It has been confirmed that Jo’s family arrived in Wando around 2 p.m. on the 29th of last month, passing through the Gogeum Bridge from Maryang, Gangjin.

Later, around 4 p.m. on the 31st, signs of life were detected near Songgok Port in Sinji-myeon, Wando County, prompting the Coast Guard to conduct search operations centered in this area.

However, no significant results have been reported so far.

The police have yet to find any evidence that Jo’s family, who applied for outdoor experiential learning at school with the intention of living in Jeju for a month, actually visited Jeju Island.

It is also understood that the family did not participate in any events operated by local governments in Jeollanam-do, such as living for a month in a rural village.

The family applied for outdoor experiential learning at the school where Jo is enrolled, from the 19th of last month to the 15th of this month, about a month-long period. When Jo did not attend school after this period ended and contact with the parents was lost, the school reported it to the police.

Outdoor experiential learning is an academic system that allows students to be recognized as present even if they do not attend school due to family trips, provided they have the principal’s approval.

The Gwangju Police Agency has released Jo’s real name and photo, as well as the make and license plate number of the family’s passenger car, and is accepting tips.

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