A Man in His 50s Who Lured an Elementary Student in Chuncheon Committed the Same Crime Against a Middle School Girl 3 Months Ago

Lured Student Met on SNS to Own Residence
Arrested at the Scene but Investigated Without Detention

It was revealed on the 13th that a man in his 50s, who was arrested on suspicion of taking an elementary school student who went missing near Jamsil Station in Seoul after leaving home in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province last month, had been under investigation for a similar crime three months earlier.

A (56), who was arrested on the 24th of last month, approached a middle school student B living in Hoengseong, Gangwon Province via social networking services (SNS) in early November last year and lured B to a warehouse building in Sotae-myeon, Chungju-si, Chungbuk, where he lived alone.

At the time, the police received a report from B's family that "a child who said they would come home by the last train did not return home." The police found B at A's residence and arrested A on the spot for violating the Missing Child Act. However, the police judged that it was difficult to apply for an arrest warrant against A solely on charges of violating the Missing Child Act, so they released him and continued the investigation without detention. Later, after uncovering additional crimes, the police handed the case over to the Wonju branch of the Chuncheon District Prosecutors' Office last month.

Then, on the 10th of the same month, not long after, A approached an 11-year-old elementary school student C through SNS using a similar method. He lured C by saying "I will let you sleep," and kept C at his warehouse residence for five days before being arrested. It was confirmed that A contacted C to meet in Seoul, then took C in his vehicle to Chungju. The Chuncheon District Prosecutors' Office is expected to combine the two cases and indict him soon.

According to the Missing Child Act, no one may protect a missing child without reporting to the head of a police station without justifiable reason, and violation of this can result in imprisonment for up to five years or a fine of up to 50 million won. The definition of a missing child under the Missing Child Act is a 'child under 18 years old at the time of disappearance' who has been abducted, lured, abandoned, involved in an accident, run away, or lost and separated from their guardian for any reason.