Self-security tips such as '10 commandments of disappearance' and checking CCTV of movement route spread online
Expert: “Evidence of distrust and anxiety… The disappearance investigation system must be fundamentally improved.”
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Intern Reporter Seo Hyo-joo = "If you say you have been contacted, ask clearly about the basis."
This is the 8th rule in the 'Ten Commandments for Reporting Missing Persons When Your Family Has Lost Contact' that has recently been shared on social media (SNS). It means that when you are notified by an investigative agency that "you have been in contact with a missing person," you must reconfirm the specific details of whether the person's safety was actually confirmed through a phone call or face-to-face meeting.
After the 'Jeju disappearance incident', which became controversial when a police officer arbitrarily terminated a disappearance report, articles containing not only guidelines for responding to disappearances but also self-help measures, such as identifying CCTV locations of family movements and checking the security of local districts before moving, are attracting attention online.
Experts pointed out that this phenomenon is due to growing distrust in police response and that the overall disappearance investigation system needs to be improved.
◇ “What should I do if a family member or acquaintance goes missing?”… Response guidelines are continuously shared online
According to Yonhap News coverage on the 30th, the post 'Ten Commandments for Reporting Missing Persons' has recently been receiving a great response on X (formerly Twitter), with about 1.6 million views.
The rules include 10 tips for reporters to directly check the investigation process and leave evidence, including ▲ recording the 112 call number and officer information ▲ requesting to report for ‘disappearance’ rather than simply ‘running away’ ▲ confirming the basis for recording and meeting when the police notify the closure.
In a phone call with Yonhap News, Lim Byeong-soo, standing representative of KCI Korea Detective Federation (15 years of experience), who wrote this, explained, "Unlike children, there are no laws related to disappearances for adults, so passive responses or arbitrary closures are repeated at the scene," adding, "The Ten Commandments reflect the reality that reporters must protect themselves for the initial golden time."
The post ‘5 ways to deal with loss of contact with family’, which advises that people should not wait passively after reporting to the police, also received more than 170,000 views. It included advice that the reporter should quickly document key clues, such as capturing the missing person's last phone call record, facial expressions, and movements, and provide them to the investigative agency.
Interest is growing not only as a response to disappearances, but also as a 'daily self-rescue measure' to verify the security of one's residence and travel route.
One of them is how to utilize the Ministry of Public Administration and Security's 'Life Safety Guidance' service.
In the life safety map, you can check the location and management organization of CCTV and security lights for crime prevention and traffic, so you can find out in advance whether there are CCTVs and security lights on your child or family's nighttime route home.
The blind post 'Things to consider when moving', which is believed to have been written by a police officer four years ago, has recently been re-examined in online communities.
This article states that the level of security in a neighborhood can be gauged by the number of patrol cars and the attitude of police officers when visiting the local district, and encourages you to directly consider the security conditions in your area.
Netizens expressed bitter reactions, such as "There is no guarantee that something like this won't happen to me, so I save the post, but it's so absurd," "Has public order been so shattered that we even need to know about this?" and "It's a shame that we can no longer trust the police."
◇ “Sharing self-rescue measures is a sign of distrust in public power… The investigation system must be overhauled.”
Experts analyzed that this phenomenon clearly shows public anxiety over disappearance cases and distrust in the security system. At the same time, he emphasized the need for legislation to transparently disclose the entire process from receiving a disappearance report to completion, and to systematically guarantee the authority to track and investigate missing adults.
Lee Woong-hyuk, a professor at Konkuk University's Department of Police Studies, diagnosed, "The increased interest in self-help measures for public security is rooted in distrust of the police."
He added, “Paradoxically, it is an opportunity to raise awareness that disappearances are not someone else’s problem, but it can also be seen as a sign of a collective ‘moral panic’ that goes beyond individual anxiety.”
Kwak Dae-kyung, a professor at Dongguk University's Police and Judicial College, also pointed out, "The fact that self-rescue rules are spreading online and attracting attention is evidence that the level of public anxiety about missing persons cases is quite high and is a starting point for discussions on preparing countermeasures."
He urged that government measures should not be piecemeal.
Professor Kwak said, “Now, rather than coming up with patchwork prescriptions such as providing detailed guidelines one by one or improvising additional manpower, we need to closely analyze the status of disappearances by season and region and the demand for public security with objective data,” and suggested, “Comprehensive and fundamental improvement measures for disappearance investigation based on a dispassionate study of the actual situation at the government level should be prepared.”
KakaoTalk friend addition ID for reporting purposes is ‘okjebo’
