Search Continues for Missing 11-Year-Old in Juwangsan National Park

An 11-year-old boy, A, went missing while hiking alone in Juwangsan National Park after visiting a temple with his family on May 10. This photo was taken on the day he went missing. 2026.5.11 [Photo provided by A's family]

Search authorities are continuing their nighttime efforts to locate an 11-year-old boy, A, who went missing in Juwangsan National Park in Cheongsong County, North Gyeongsang Province.
On May 11, officials from the North Gyeongsang Provincial Police Agency, the North Gyeongsang Fire Department, and the Korea National Park Service reported that they would deploy equipment and personnel for nighttime searches.
Considering the weather conditions, the search will involve 80 personnel, including 40 police officers, 28 firefighters, and 12 national park staff, along with five drones equipped with thermal imaging cameras.
The search teams plan to focus their efforts along the hiking trail from Giam Bridge, where A was last seen by his parents, to the summit, which stands at an elevation of 720.6 meters. The distance between Giam Bridge and the summit is approximately 2.3 kilometers.
A police official stated, "The five drones will be operated until the rain begins, and the timing for concluding the search will be determined based on the situation on the ground."
Earlier that day, authorities had already deployed a helicopter, two drones, and around 90 personnel in their search for A.
Police reviewed closed-circuit television footage within the national park and found no indications that A's disappearance was related to any criminal activity.
A, who lives in Daegu, had visited a temple in Juwangsan National Park with his parents the previous day. Around noon, he told them he would "just go up the mountain for a bit" and then disappeared.
When A did not return, his parents reported him missing to emergency services at 5:53 PM that same day.
A is described as approximately 145 centimeters tall and slender, wearing a Samsung Lions uniform and cap at the time of his disappearance. He did not have a mobile phone with him.
In a phone call with Yonhap News Agency, A's father shared, "There is a short path from the temple to the mountain, and we were together until that point. That was the last time I saw him."

* This article has been translated by AI.

SoHee Baek