Wanted: Missing Child’s Parent

Here’s this week’s tip on Korean language and customs:

Q:
I went to a ballet performance last week. There I found on the back of the tickets black-and-white photographs of missing children, which actually reminded me of the same kind of photographs I saw on milk cartons. My wife and I thought, “what a strange place to see pictures of missing children” and wondered how these children got to be missing in Korea.

A:
The organized effort to find the families of missing children started in 1986 when the Korean Welfare Foundation established a special center for missing children. Since then, many private companies have volunteered to sponsor the campaign; thus the photographs and brief descriptions of missing children on milk cartons, play tickets and cable networks.

According to the foundation, there are over 100 reported cases of missing children in Korea annually, about half of whom are found within a month on average. More than 50 percent of the children were lost near their home. The causes range from kidnapping to accident.

The foundation encourages reporting through online registration at www.missingchild.or.kr or notify the National Police Agency at 182.