Victim of 'Seongbuk-gu teenager murder' reported missing before incident due to failure to return to shelter

It was confirmed that the 15-year-old woman who was murdered by a man in his 50s in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul was a at-risk youth protected at a youth shelter, and that the shelter had reported her missing to the police before the incident occurred.

It was found that the shelter was aware of the victim's domestic conflict and sexual exploitation. It was revealed that victims mainly used temporary shelters with a protection period of up to 7 days, and were not connected to short-term or mid- to long-term shelters.

According to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family on the 12th, the youth shelter that was protecting Ms. A (15), who died at a shared accommodation in Jeongneung-dong, Seongbuk-gu early in the morning the previous day, reported Ms. A missing to the police before the incident occurred.

This is because Miss A went out with a shelter worker and did not return to the shelter even after curfew. It varies depending on the age of the resident and the situation of the shelter, but in general, the curfew for minors is around 9 to 10 p.m.

After the report, the shelter contacted Ms. A's parents and worked with the police to track Ms. A's whereabouts, but Ms. A was eventually found dead.

Ms. A was a middle school student, but instead of going to school, she lived at a youth shelter in the metropolitan area. It is known that he was unable to live stably in his original home due to family issues, and that he had been admitted to a shelter since early this year after reporting child abuse to the police several times.

A youth shelter is a facility that protects and provides lodging and food to at-risk youth who have been driven out onto the streets due to runaways, domestic violence, and child abuse.

Shelters are divided into temporary shelters, short-term shelters, and mid- to long-term shelters depending on the protection period, and victims mainly used temporary shelters where they could stay for up to 7 days.

It is said that Ms. A did not wish to enter a short-term shelter or a mid- to long-term shelter, where the maximum protection period is 2 and 4 years.

An official from the Ministry of Gender Equality explained, "When discharged from a temporary shelter, it is manualized to connect to a nearby short-term shelter. If discharge is difficult due to complex crisis situations such as sexual violence and child abuse, (the period of protection) may be extended."

He added, “It is judged that the shelter was fully aware of (Miss A’s) conflict within the home and the damage caused by sexual exploitation,” adding, “It is a matter that requires further confirmation as to whether (Miss A) preferred a temporary shelter or whether it was difficult to link her to a short-term shelter.”