"If the culprit is alive, please confess your conscience" 'Gaeguri Sonyeon' bereaved family’s tearful plea [Interview]

Interview with the Representative of the Bereaved Families in the Worst Long-Unsolved Case 'Daegu Gaeguri Boys Case'
Police Plan Reinvestigation... No Significant Evidence Yet, Regret Expressed
Bereaved Families "Feels Like It Happened Just Yesterday... Who Could Have Done This?" Outcry

On the afternoon of the 17th, Woo Jong-woo, the representative of the bereaved families in the 'Daegu Frog Boys' case, shared his thoughts on the incident in an interview with Asia Economy. Photo by Yeonju Kim, intern reporter yeonju1853@asiae.co.kr

[Asia Economy reporters Seunggon Han and intern Yeonju Kim] "I wish the culprit would say, 'It was me,' even now. Then they couldn't even be punished."

The police, who have launched a reinvestigation into the nearly 30-year-old unsolved "Daegu Gaeguri Boys Case," are reportedly still unable to secure clues to identify suspects from the belongings of the missing children, deepening the public's sorrow.

According to the Daegu Metropolitan Police Agency, the cold case investigation team in charge of the case received a notification from the National Forensic Service last June stating, "No meaningful evidence was found in the belongings of the missing children."

The "Gaeguri Boys Case" refers to the incident on March 26, 1991, when five elementary school students (then called "Gukmin Haksaeng") living in the Seongseo area of Dalseo-gu, Daegu, went missing together after climbing nearby Waryongsan Mountain. The boys, who were in grades 3 to 6 at the time, did not return home by evening, and their parents reported them missing to the police around 7:50 p.m.

According to the police, the time confirmed for the boys climbing the mountain was around 9 a.m. This time was verified by local residents, school friends, and an older brother.

On March 22, 1992, families of missing boys appealing to find the Frog Boys at a joint rally in Seo-gu, Daegu. The far left is Woo Jong-woo, the representative of the bereaved families. Photo by Yonhap News

The police, who received the initial missing report, assumed the boys had lost their way on the mountain and conducted search operations with the parents until 3 a.m. the next day, but the boys were not found.

Due to the fact that five elementary school students disappeared at once, a special directive was issued by the then-president, and the police and military mobilized thousands of personnel, expanding the investigation nationwide, but no significant results were achieved.

More than 10 years after the disappearance, on September 26, 2002, the boys' skeletal remains were found, briefly revitalizing the investigation, which ultimately ended inconclusively. The statute of limitations for the case expired on March 26, 2006, deepening the grief of the bereaved families.

Then, on September 20 last year, Police Chief Min Gap-ryong became the first in history among police chiefs to visit the site where the Gaeguri Boys' remains were found and announced a reinvestigation plan, reigniting national interest.

Although no meaningful evidence has yet emerged, Woo Jong-woo (73), the representative of the bereaved families and father of Woo Cheol-won, emphasized, "I still cannot forget the children as if the incident happened just yesterday," adding, "We must find out who and why committed this crime." The interview was conducted on the 17th at the office of the National Association for Finding Missing Children and Families in Cheongnyangni, Seoul.

Below is a Q&A with Mr. Woo.

- The National Forensic Service results were not good. You must be very disappointed.

▲ I didn't have high expectations. Because there weren't many belongings of the children. I didn't think much could be achieved with a small number of items. The belongings were found 10 years after the incident, so I think much of the evidence was damaged over that long period.

- There is no meaningful evidence. The police announced a reinvestigation plan, but the statute of limitations has expired, and much time has passed. Despite this, do you intend to continue efforts to uncover the truth about the Gaeguri Boys?

▲ Of course. The child disappeared. We need to know why such a thing happened. Some say it was homicide. We must uncover the truth. It's been 30 years now. I used to be active, but now I'm an old man over 70. I don't know if we will ever find out who did this to the children and why. I want to know what grudge there could have been to do this to five children who barely grew up.

- As you said, 30 years have passed. Yet when you think of the children, it must feel like it happened just yesterday.

▲ Yes. They all lived in the neighborhood. Even when playing, when their fathers came home from work, they all ran to hug them. They asked their dads for 100 won. That image is clear. It's vivid in my eyes. And it's very painful. People who haven't experienced this don't know.

- Who do you think might have done such a thing and why?

▲ I don't believe the rumor that a soldier did it. Maybe it was to hide something the children saw. This is just my thought, but I think someone killed the children and, after they became skeletons, moved them to the mountain. And if they intended to make it a permanent cold case, they would have left the five bodies scattered here and there, but they were all placed in one pit. Since they were all skeletal remains, I think that's why.

He is showing a photo of his son, Woo Cheol-won, who was found dead. Mr. Woo explained that this photo was taken during an elementary school sports day. Photo by Seung-gon Han hsg@asiae.co.kr

- You gave up your livelihood for 30 years and traveled all over the country. It must have been very hard.

▲ Yes. At first, I searched every day for three years straight. I made flyers and traveled nationwide. Then, I had to work to make a living while continuing to search for the children. I had to eat to survive. From then on, I entrusted this matter entirely to the police. The police also worked very hard. Especially when a tip came in, they immediately went to the reported location that day. Living as a family of a missing person is hard beyond words. If you haven't been in that situation, you don't know how painful and agonizing it is.

We are a family of four. When four people eat, one seat is empty. We keep the door and room open all night waiting, but they don't come. Since that day, I lost my appetite. Waiting and waiting, but they don't come. It drives you crazy. And so, time has already passed like this.

Mr. Woo is explaining the location where the remains of the 'Frog Boys' were discovered on September 26, 2002. Photo by Yeonju Kim, intern reporter yeonju1853@asiae.co.kr

- I'm curious how you searched around.

▲ At that time, the situation was unstable, and many crimes occurred frequently, so I basically searched among people who begged for money. I even went to uninhabited islands. I visited islands and barges, living like that every day.

- If this case was not an accident, do you have anything to say to the culprit?

▲ The statute of limitations has expired. I hope for a confession of conscience. It doesn't have to be on the news or show their face. I hope they just leave a short note somewhere saying, "I did it," with a brief explanation at a local community center. Why did you do it? Why did you do that to five innocent children all at once? Please let us know in any way. This is my plea.

- Do you have any message for the public, police, and government?

▲ We received great help from many citizens because of the Gaeguri Boys case. Especially the police worked very hard. I want to take this opportunity to express my gratitude. I apologize for saying this, but I hope continuous interest will be maintained. I hope the government will continue to pay attention. I believe the way we can repay the public's interest is by uncovering why the children died.

- There are many families of missing persons nationwide. Do you have anything to say to them?

▲ We at least know the life or death of our children. But families of missing persons don't know if their children are dead or alive. They live day by day in agony. I hope people will pay attention to families of missing persons. It really gives them great strength.