[iNews24 Reporter Kim Da-woon] President Lee Jae-myung on May 12 urged Cabinet members to redouble efforts to prevent similar tragedies after a missing elementary school student was found dead at Juwangsan National Park in Cheongsong County.
Blue House senior spokesperson Kang Yoo-jeong said in a written briefing that while presiding over the Cabinet meeting at the Blue House, the president was informed of the incident, expressed sorrow, and made the remarks.
Earlier, in his opening remarks at the Cabinet meeting before the child was found, the president urged officials to deploy every available resource for the search, saying every minute and second counts and that reuniting a missing child with their family as quickly as possible is a core responsibility of the state.
He then asked whether the police were leading the search and how many personnel had been deployed, saying, "Even if it’s chaotic and difficult, 1,000 people searching for one day may be more efficient than 500 people searching for two days."
When Acting National Police Commissioner Yoo Jae-seong reported that 281 police officers and 28 firefighters had been deployed, the president said that was far too few and ordered, "Mobilize as many people as you can. Juwangsan isn’t large. Search every area thoroughly and act swiftly."
Search teams discovered the child’s body during a detailed sweep of the Juwangsan National Park area that morning.
The student, identified as A, had visited a temple inside Juwangsan National Park with his family on the 10th. Around noon, he said he would go to the main peak, set off alone, and later lost contact.
After A’s family reported him missing, authorities located him at about 10:20 a.m. on the third day of searching, finding him lying dead near a trail roughly 300 m from the main peak.
Authorities believe A slipped and fell while hiking.
