34 Children Scheduled for School Enrollment Missing... 32 Located Overseas

Unidentified Child to Be Investigated Through Local Police

On the 6th, the preliminary enrollment day for elementary schools in the Seoul area, prospective elementary students and their parents are registering for admission at Gaju Elementary School in Songpa-gu. / Photo by Joint Press Corps

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] As a result of conducting a preliminary gathering for children entering elementary school this year, the whereabouts of 34 children remain unknown, and the police are investigating.

On the 25th, the Ministry of Education reported that from December 21 last year for one month, a preliminary gathering was conducted, confirming the whereabouts of 99.99% of school-age children in cooperation with the education offices and local governments. After requesting an investigation by the police, the whereabouts of 256 out of 290 unidentified children were confirmed, but 34 remain unconfirmed to date.

This year, due to COVID-19, the preliminary gathering was conducted using a non-face-to-face method in parallel. Guardians of absent children were contacted by phone to request school visits, and immigration records were checked or home visits were conducted in cooperation with local governments. Nevertheless, if it was difficult to confirm whereabouts at the school or local government level, an investigation was requested from the relevant police station. Double checks such as attendance confirmation after the enrollment date will also be conducted.

Among the 34 children whose whereabouts are currently unknown, 32 are believed to have left the country. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is collaborating to request investigations from local police to confirm their whereabouts.

Oh Seok-hwan, Director of the Education Welfare Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Education, said, "We will work closely with related agencies to confirm the whereabouts of school-age children who did not attend the preliminary gathering, and will continue efforts to confirm students’ whereabouts through double checks during the enrollment phase."

Ko Pyung-gi, Head of the Child and Youth Division at the National Police Agency, stated, "We will promptly identify the whereabouts of the 34 children who did not attend the preliminary gathering and whose whereabouts are unknown through thorough investigations equivalent to missing person investigations until their safety is confirmed. If any abuse or criminal suspicion is found among the confirmed children, we will respond strictly."