Police Struggle to Track Missing Adults | South Korea News

South Korea News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Aug 27, 2026 · 1m

Police are under fire for being understaffed and legally hamstrung in missing adults cases, forced to conduct massive physical searches with minimal resources. With over eight percent fewer officers on missing persons teams and nearly half of stations lacking dedicated units, departments are struggling to act effectively—often classifying missing adults as “runaways” and closing cases prematurely without oversight. Internal pushback is mounting, demanding systemic reform: supervisors now must approve case closures, and critics are calling out cultural biases and fraudulent reports that divert…