A Nonagenarian Lost in the Subway Station at Midnight Reunited with Family Thanks to Station Staff Assistance

Elderly Man in Underwear Descends Exit at Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station on Line 4 Around 11 PM
Station Staff Monitoring CCTV Detects Unusual Situation, Responds Quickly, Provides Protection, Contacts Police and Safely Hands Over to Family

On the evening of the 11th, around 11 PM, a man in his 90s with dementia who was wandering around Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station on Seoul Subway Line 4 was safely returned to his family thanks to the quick discovery and assistance of the station staff on duty.

According to Seoul Metro (President Baek Ho), Deputy Manager Ra Gwang-su, who was working at Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station on Line 4, noticed an elderly man wearing only underwear walking down the stairs at Exit 8 around 11 PM while monitoring CCTV.

Deputy Manager Ra carefully observed the monitor as the elderly man descended to the basement level 1, considering various factors such as whether a guardian was nearby and whether sudden approach might startle him and cause a fall.

After careful observation, Ra judged that the man had come to the station without a guardian and needed protection. He approached the elderly man and tried to communicate, but the man was unable to communicate normally.

Ra asked a colleague to call 112 (emergency services) and, at the same time, stayed with the elderly man in the waiting area for seven minutes to avoid startling him, persuading him to accompany them to the station’s Customer Safety Office.

This decision was based on Ra’s extensive experience, realizing that elderly people tend to react unpredictably if forced or hurried.

After repeated persuasion by Deputy Manager Ra, the elderly man agreed to move to the Customer Safety Office. The staff massaged his hands and feet, cleaned him up, and offered warm soy milk while engaging in conversation.

About 15 minutes later, police officers who arrived on the scene identified the elderly man’s personal information and found a “Dementia Patient Identification Tag” he was carrying. Fortunately, they were able to contact the guardian listed on the tag, and the man was safely reunited with his family.

Ra, who discovered and cared for the elderly man during his shift, said, “When I first found the man wandering alone on a chilly night, I thought of my mother who suffered from dementia for 7 to 8 years. I wanted to give him at least one more soy milk. It was just my duty as an employee, and I’m relieved he returned safely to his family in time.” He added, “I was still worried after he left, so I sent a message to the guardian and received a reply that he slept well and is attending the day care center regularly.”

Cases of missing persons, including elderly dementia patients and children, frequently occur in the subway. According to the company, as of 2024, there have been 13 reported cases of elderly dementia patients or those suspected of dementia going missing within the company’s operating sections, who were later found and handed over to their guardians.

To enable quick searches, the company has created a “Manual for Early Detection of Missing Children, etc.” and distributed it to each station so that employees can follow it to assist missing persons and their families.

Based on this manual, in November 2023, an employee who helped search for a disabled man of Singaporean nationality at Sadang Station received a letter of appreciation from the Songpa Police Station.

According to the manual, when a missing person is reported within a station, the company staff immediately gathers information and reports it to the police. They then announce it over the station’s public address system, share information on the company’s internal bulletin board, and notify the control center that manages subway operations, which quickly disseminates the situation to all 276 stations, doing their best to find the missing person.

Baek Ho, President of Seoul Metro, said, “I am grateful to Deputy Manager Ra and the staff at Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station for diligently performing their duties late at night and doing their best for the safety of citizens. We will continue to spare no effort to ensure that missing persons at stations can return to their families or guardians as soon as possible, based on the manual.”