Missing 80s dementia patient found in Busan after 22-hour mountain search
In short
An 80-something dementia patient reported missing on Eomgwang Mountain in Busan on the evening of Sept. 30 was found about 22 hours later after a search involving some 300 police and fire personnel. Police said the discovery followed a tip from a citizen who had gone home, heard about the missing-person leaflet from his mother, and returned to the scene. Police handed the man back to his family and attached a wandering-detection device to his belongings.
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A man in his 80s who has dementia and went missing on a Busan mountain was found about 22 hours later and returned to his family, police said. The Busan Jin Police Station said it received a report at 8:48 p.m. on Sept. 30 that the man, identified only by his surname initial A, was missing. [ 2 , 3 ]
His son called police after A telephoned him to say he was on a mountain and did not know where he was because it was dark all around, according to the Yonhap report. Police tracked A's mobile phone and determined he was in the area of Eomgwang Mountain, which the reports put at 504 metres above sea level. The phone was switched off about three hours after the report, the outlets said, making tracking harder, and the documents note large day-night temperature differences. [ 2 , 3 ]
Police deployed detectives, riot police and officers handling missing-person cases, along with drones and search dogs, and officers from the neighbouring Sasang and Seobu police stations joined the search. They issued a missing-person alert and handed out leaflets to residents near the hiking trails. Firefighters also took part, and the reports say around 300 personnel were involved — 194 police officers and 121 firefighters. [ 2 , 3 ]
At around 6:48 p.m. on Oct. 1, roughly 22 hours after the search began, police received a report from a citizen, identified as B, who said he had seen A in the Gwitmaeul area of Seo-gu. B told police he had found A blocking his car on his way home from work, then went home, heard from his mother that leaflets about the missing man had been distributed, returned to the scene, stayed with A and called police. [ 2 , 3 ]
Police handed A to his family and attached a wandering-detection device, a “Smart Tag 2”, to his belongings. A police official said the devices have been operated jointly with local governments since 2024 and that police plan to give B a commendation. [ 2 ]
Newsis headlined the case around the citizen who went back to the mountain after hearing the man was missing and the rescue within a day, though the article text carried by that outlet was about an unrelated rocket launch. Dong-A Ilbo summarised the search as a large-scale police and fire operation that found the man safe, noting that the search continued day and night. [ 1 , 3 ]
Why it matters
The case shows how police and fire resources are used for missing dementia patients in urban mountain areas, and how a public missing-person alert and leaflet distribution can produce a citizen tip. Police said such wandering-detection devices have been operated jointly with local governments since 2024, a measure they applied to this case. The documents describe a local rescue, not a wider policy change.
Key facts
- Busan police received a report at 8:48 p.m. on Sept. 30 that a man in his 80s with dementia had gone missing. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The man told his son by phone that he was on a mountain and did not know where he was because it was dark all around, according to police. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Police tracked his phone to the area of Eomgwang Mountain, which the documents put at 504 metres above sea level. [ 2 , 3 ]
- His phone was turned off about three hours after the report, complicating the search, police said. [ 2 , 3 ]
- About 300 people took part, including 194 police officers and 121 firefighters, along with search dogs and drones. [ 2 , 3 ]
- A citizen reported seeing the man at around 6:48 p.m. on Oct. 1 in the Gwitmaeul area of Seo-gu, about 22 hours after the search began. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Police said they handed the man to his family and attached a “Smart Tag 2” wandering-detection device to his belongings. [ 2 ]
- Police said they plan to give the citizen who reported him a commendation. [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- A man in his 80s with dementia went missing on Eomgwang Mountain in Busan on the evening of Sept. 30 and was found about 22 hours later. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Police tracked his mobile phone and searched with drones, search dogs and officers from neighbouring police stations after issuing a missing-person alert and distributing leaflets near hiking trails. [ 2 , 3 ]
- A citizen's report led to the discovery; the man was returned to his family and a wandering-detection device was attached to his belongings. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The search involved about 300 personnel, among them 194 police and 121 firefighters. [ 2 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- Whether the roughly 22 hours runs from the missing-person report or from the start of the search. The Yonhap report says the man was found about 22 hours after the search, while the Dong-A Ilbo summary says about 22 hours after the report.
- The man's medical condition after he was found. Dong-A Ilbo describes him as found safely, but the documents give no medical assessment or hospital details.
- What was said when the missing-person alert was issued. Both outlets mention the alert and the leaflets but give no further detail, and no other source covers it.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Busan police receive a report that a man in his 80s with dementia has gone missing. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The man's mobile phone is turned off, about three hours after the report, according to police. [ 2 , 3 ]
- A citizen reports seeing the man in the Gwitmaeul area of Seo-gu; he is taken into protection and handed to his family. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Newsis publishes its report on the case. [ 1 ]
- Yonhap publishes its report citing Busan Jin Police Station. [ 2 ]
- Dong-A Ilbo publishes its summary of the search. [ 3 ]