Man who took in missing teenage girl into his home without notifying poli...

Uijeongbu District Court in Gyeonggi [YONHAP]

A man who took a missing teenage girl into his home twice without reporting her to police has been given a four-month prison sentence, suspended for one year.

A district court sentenced the man on April 17 for violating the Act on the Protection and Support of Missing Children. The law bars anyone from sheltering a missing child without justification unless they report the child to the police.

On May 23 last year, the man saw a post on X, in which the teenager wrote that she had run away from home and asked whether anyone could help. He contacted her, met with her and let her stay in his home through the following day without notifying the police.

The girl ran away again three days later, on May 27. The man took her back to his home, where she stayed for three days. The police, acting on a missing person report, found her there on May 29, and the man was indicted for violating the law.

The court confirmed that he committed no other offense beyond sheltering her at home.

“The defendant has acknowledged his wrongdoing and shown remorse, and no further criminal intent beyond the failure to report can be found,” the judge said in explaining the sentence. “However, the offense runs counter to the purpose of the law, which aims for the prompt discovery and return of missing children, and the gravity of the crime cannot be regarded as light.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.