"People Are Crying in the Heat": Police Who Responded to a Call Helped Reunite a Family With a Man Missing for 30 Years [Thank You, Empty Stomach]

[Financial News] A police officer who responded to a report of a suspected heat-related illness amid the nationwide heat wave ended up helping return a man in his 50s, who had gone missing 30 years ago, to his family.
According to Newsis on the 7th, a report that "a person is crying on the street" was received at the Seongnam Jungwon Police Station in Gyeonggi Province at around 7:36 a.m. the previous day.
Son Seong-uk and Mo Seong-gap, police officers from the Dochon Police Box who were dispatched after the report, found A, 57, sitting and crying on a street in Jungwon District, Seongnam.
At the time, A was crying from exhaustion caused by the heat. Seeing this, Son suspected a heat-related illness and helped cool A down by wiping his body with a towel soaked in water, while also trying to keep him calm. He continued talking to A so that he would not lose consciousness. In the process, police confirmed his identity and found that he was a missing person.
An investigation found that A, who had congenital polio, left his hometown of Yeosu, South Jeolla, 30 years ago because he did not want to place a financial burden on his family for medical expenses and other costs. He later ran businesses in Busan and elsewhere, but failed. With no ties to the area, he moved to Seongnam and lived as a homeless man for six years.
After hearing A's story, Son persuaded him for about an hour and eventually obtained his consent to contact his family.
After receiving the police call, A's older brother said, "Is he really alive? I'll leave right away," and arrived at the Dochon Police Box about five hours later. He reunited with A in tears. The two brothers then left together for their hometown of Yeosu.
Lim Dong-ho, chief of the Seongnam Jungwon Police Station, said, "This was a case in which we helped a heat-related patient settle down, confirmed that he was a missing person through identity verification, and facilitated a family reunion." He added, "We will do our best to ensure the safety of citizens."
Meanwhile, on the 7th, the first day of Ipchu, which marks the start of autumn on the traditional solar calendar, a severe heat alert was issued as temperatures rose above 39 degrees Celsius in the Capital Region, Gangwon Inland, and some parts of the Jeolla Region.
Elsewhere, as the perceived temperature in most parts of the country climbed to around 35 degrees Celsius, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) advised people to suspend all outdoor activities and outdoor work except for essential duties.

[email protected] Kim Su-yeon Reporter