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This photo is not directly related to this story. A person walks near Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno-gu, central Seoul, Tuesday. (Yonhap) |
South Korean police said Thursday that a 103-year-old South Korean man who wandered off in sub-freezing temperatures in Seoul has safely returned home, thanks to a bus driver who reported him to officials.
The man, surnamed Bang, left his home in Dongdaemun-gu at 5:37 a.m. on Wednesday. The police were soon notified and a search was launched. The nation's capital experienced temperatures ranging from minus 3.7 degrees Celsius to minus 11.2 C on Wednesday, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency sent an emergency text to citizens of Seoul saying Bang was thought to be walking around the Dongdaemun-gu area, under the assumption that he wouldn't have gone too far based on his age. But, it was later found that Bang had taken a bus and traveled across the city.
When Bang boarded a bus in Gangnam-gu, central Seoul, the driver asked him where he was headed, to which he could not answer. At around 3:06 p.m., the driver made a report to police that a man who appeared to be suffering from dementia had boarded his vehicle.
Police found Bang riding the bus near Seoul Forest in the eastern part of the city and took him into protective custody. After checking to see if extended exposure to sub-zero temperatures had caused any health issues, officers returned Bang to his family.
