"What on earth happened to Korea"... More than one kidnapping per day, half of the victims are elementary students

[Financial News] It has been revealed that more than one case of abduction, enticement, human trafficking, and other kidnapping incidents occur per day this year.
On the 18th, according to data received by Wi Seong-gon, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea belonging to the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee, from the National Police Agency, there were 319 cases of kidnapping and attempted kidnapping from January to August this year.
This means an average of 1.3 cases occurred per day. There were 237 cases of kidnapping and 82 cases of attempts.
The statistics on kidnapping and attempted kidnapping are comprehensive figures that include all related crimes such as abduction, enticement for purposes of molestation, and human trafficking under the criminal law.
There is an overall increasing trend with 324 cases in 2021, 374 cases in 2022, 469 cases in 2023, and 414 cases in 2024.
Most of the victims were minors. Looking at the age of victims of abduction and enticement crimes last year, 130 out of 302 victims were aged 7 to 12, accounting for 43.0%. This mostly corresponds to the elementary school age group.
There were 66 victims (21.8%) aged 6 and under, and 39 victims (12.9%) aged 13 to 15.
Representative Wi Seong-gon emphasized, "Since most victims are children and adolescents, crime prevention should be strengthened through intensified patrols."




jjw@fnnews.com Jeong Ji-woo Reporter