Seoul Transportation Corporation reported that the number of lost items registered in the Seoul subway has surpassed 820,000 over the past five years and nine months. While the volume of lost items continues to rise, the rate of items returned to their owners has dropped to about half.
According to data submitted to the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee by Democratic Party lawmaker Hwang Hee, a total of 820,106 lost items were recorded from 2021 to September of this year.
The number of lost items has steadily increased from 101,618 in 2021 to 167,738 last year, marking an approximate 65% rise compared to 2021.
By category, wallets topped the list with 191,223 cases, followed by clothing with 125,174, mobile phones with 114,834, and bags with 109,240.
Cash was reported as lost in 52,859 cases, totaling approximately 2.98 billion won.
However, the rate of items returned to their rightful owners has been declining. The recovery rate, which was 65.6% in 2021, fell to 51.5% last year and dropped further to 49.1% by September of this year, failing to reach even half.
There have also been instances of disciplinary action against Seoul Transportation Corporation employees for misconduct related to lost items. From 2021 to September of this year, there were a total of 18 cases of employee misconduct related to lost items. Most resulted in internal disciplinary actions such as reprimands or salary reductions, but last year, an employee who embezzled a wallet found on a train received a fine.
The Seoul Transportation Corporation retains lost items for seven days before transferring unclaimed items to the police.
Lawmaker Hwang Hee pointed out the decline in the recovery rate despite the increase in lost items and called for improvements in the management system. He emphasized the need to enhance procedures to help citizens quickly retrieve lost items and to establish internal controls to prevent misconduct during the management of lost items.
If you lose an item on the subway, it is advisable to remember the train number and the time of disembarkation and report it to the station staff. The status of lost items can also be checked on the Seoul Transportation Corporation's website under the lost and found section.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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