By Han Sang-hee
A female teacher has been missing for the past five days in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, setting off fears of yet another kidnapping case in the area.
According to the Hwaseong Dongbu Police Station, the elementary school teacher, identified only as Lee, 28, went missing after leaving her home around 7:50 p.m., Tuesday.
Her family lost contact with her after she left and they called the police the following day. "My daughter was not home when I came back from church at 10 p.m.," Lee's mother was quoted as saying by the police.
Lee was last captured briefly by a surveillance camera in the apartment's elevator, dressed in a track suit. She was not holding a wallet or a cell phone in the footage.
Lee was reportedly suffering from depression for the past year and took a leave of absence from work last April. Police quoted her family as saying that she was trying to decide whether to return to school or take more time off.
Police are not ruling out the possibility of her being kidnapped. The Hwaseong area is notorious for the 10 serial crimes that took place from 1986 to the early 1990s.
Reported as the nation's first serial murder case, it made headlines for its unprecedented cruelty and boldness in the country, and was eventually made into the hit suspense film "Memories of Murder" in 2003 by director Bong Jun-ho. All of the 10 victims were women and the statute of limitations for nine out of the 10 cases expired in 2004.
1 | Suicidal pedestrian saved over Han River bridge |
![[INTERVIEW] Busan has potential to be world-class city, says mayor](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/b58861f810524e18a4ade3af8c9351f9.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
