Korean woman goes missing in Japan after heatstroke treatment
Family pleads for help as 29-year-old vanishes nearly a month ago
A photo of missing Korean traveler Choi, released by Japan’s Fuji News Network Prime on Monday. Choi went missing during a trip to Japan late last month. Captured from Fuji News Network Prime
A 29-year-old Korean woman has gone missing in Japan after receiving treatment for heatstroke, according to a report by Japan’s Fuji News Network (FNN) on Monday.
The woman, identified by her surname Choi, entered Japan on June 27 for travel. The following day, she collapsed from symptoms of heatstroke and was taken by ambulance to Tokyo Healthcare University Hospital in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo.
Choi’s mother said she received a phone call shortly after her daughter was hospitalized.
“She didn’t say where she was, but asked me to send 1.5 million won ($1,150),” the mother said. She wired 160,000 yen (1.5 million won) to her daughter, who used the money to pay for medical expenses before leaving the hospital. No contact has been made with her since.
Choi is from Jeongeup, North Jeolla Province, and had been working as a nurse at a hospital near Seoul, living in a dormitory. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department confirmed that Choi was seen leaving the hospital alone and said there is currently no indication of foul play.
Her mother expressed concern and confusion about her daughter’s sudden trip. “She once mentioned she might visit Japan, but I didn’t expect her to go so suddenly,” she said. “She told me she’d return in three days. Please help us bring her back to her family.”
The Korean Embassy in Japan and the Bucheon Wonmi Police Station in Korea are working together to locate Choi. Flyers with her information have been distributed.
According to the missing person notice, Choi was last seen around 10 p.m. on June 28 leaving Tokyo Healthcare University Hospital. She is 163 centimeters tall, has short hair, and a mole on her left eyebrow line.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.