SEOUL: The father of Lee Yun-hee, a woman who went missing in 2006 at the age of 28, has resumed a one-man protest calling on authorities to reinvestigate his daughter’s disappearance.
Local media reported Friday (April 24) that Lee Dong-se, 90, has been protesting on the streets of Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, urging President Lee Jae Myung to order a new investigation into what he claims was a flawed police search in 2006.
He placed a life-size cutout of his daughter at the protest site, along with a message accusing Jeonju police of mishandling the case. In another sign, he wrote, “My daughter, Yun-hee. I will find you even when I’m 90, even when I’m 100.”
Lee has held repeated protests over the years and fought to obtain police records, which he received in 2024 through a court order. He has also accused a former male classmate of his daughter, surnamed Kim, of involvement in her disappearance. Lee later obtained a restraining order against Kim on stalking-related grounds.
One of South Korea’s best-known cold cases, Lee Yun-hee’s disappearance dates back to June 6, 2006, when she was a veterinary medicine student at Jeonbuk National University. She attended an end-of-semester gathering and returned to her studio apartment at around 2.30am. She was never seen again.
Classmates who later visited her room did not immediately realize she had gone missing and cleaned the apartment after finding that her dogs had defecated inside. The cleanup is believed to have inadvertently removed possible DNA evidence from what later came to be treated as a potential crime scene.
The case has long been surrounded by unanswered questions, including Lee’s relationship with Kim, the reported disappearance of a hammer from her room and the fact that neighbors said they did not hear or notice anything unusual on the night she vanished.
Kim, who was questioned as a suspect in the case, reportedly followed Lee after she left the school gathering in the early hours of the morning. He told police that he saw her run about 100 meters before entering her apartment.
Investigators believe Lee likely made it home, as records showed her computer was used from 2.59am that day to search terms including “sexual harassment” and “112,” South Korea’s police emergency hotline. But the fact that the internet activity lasted only about three minutes, while the computer remained on for more than an hour before shutting down automatically, has continued to raise questions.
Her mobile phone, which could have contained relevant evidence, had been stolen four days before her disappearance. Police were unable to secure decisive evidence that could determine what happened to her.
Lee’s case has continued to draw public attention, but it has also generated unconfirmed rumors and conspiracy theories, including through videos posted on private YouTube channels. - The Korea Herald/ANN
