Yang Bunam Proposes 'Support Act for Finding and Returning Missing Adults'

Legal Basis Established for DNA Testing and Location Data Collection for Missing Persons

Yang Bunam, Member of the National Assembly.

Yang Bunam, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea (representing Gwangju Seo-gu-eul), proposed the "Act on the Discovery and Support for the Return of Missing Adults" on the 10th, which would allow the police to use DNA comparison in investigations of adult missing persons cases.

Under current law, DNA testing for the prompt discovery and return of missing persons is limited to children under the age of 18, as stipulated by the Missing Children Act. As a result, in cases involving missing adults, the police do not have the authority to compare the DNA of family members with that of the missing person, leaving a blind spot in investigations.

If the bill passes, DNA collected from the belongings of missing adults or from their family members can be registered in the National Forensic Service database, allowing real-time verification of DNA comparison results.

Additionally, just like the Missing Children Act, the bill would allow the police to check CCTV footage without a warrant and establish a legal basis for collecting location and movement information of missing adults.

Yang stated, "I proposed this bill to help alleviate, even slightly, the sorrow of families of missing adults who are suffering due to the shortcomings of the current system."