Korean woman missing for a month in Indonesia; family pleads for tips

A Korean woman in her 30s who went missing while snorkeling at a popular Indonesian resort island has not been found more than a month after she disappeared. Her family and friends have posted a reward and are appealing to the public for information.

According to local media including the Bali Times, a 31-year-old Korean woman identified as Cheon disappeared in the waters off Gili Trawangan island in Lombok, Indonesia, on Oct. 6 (local time).

Cheon had been snorkeling with a group of Korean companions off the island's northern coast, an area known for sea turtle sightings, when she briefly separated from the group around 12:30 p.m. to see a sea turtle — the last time she was seen.

When the group returned to shore around 2 p.m. and realized Cheon was missing, they searched the surrounding area with local residents but could not find her. Police were then notified and launched a joint search operation.

Local rescue teams, along with the Indonesian navy and coast guard, deployed speedboats and drones to search the surrounding waters, but Cheon was not found after eight days of searching. Local rescue authorities have since called off the official search.

There were no signs that Cheon was in distress at the time of her disappearance. One witness reportedly said they saw her swimming normally and floating on the surface around 1 p.m. What happened after that has not been determined.

In response, Cheon's family and friends posted a missing-person poster on SNS detailing the circumstances of her disappearance and her appearance at the time, and appealed for help. They have also offered a reward of 50 million rupiah (about 3.75 million won, or $2,790).

"Please help us find our missing friend. Her parents are currently in Indonesia searching for their daughter themselves," a friend of Cheon's wrote in the appeal. "We are waiting for tips from anyone who was near the northern shore of Gili Trawangan — around Karma Kayak or Turtle Point — around Oct. 6."

"We have also lost contact with the companions who were reachable at the time of the disappearance. They have returned to Korea but are not responding to messages," the friend added. "Rather than unverified speculation or criticism, please share any photos or videos taken at Gili Trawangan — even the smallest piece of material could help."

Park Tae-soon, head of the Korean community association on Lombok island, who is assisting with the search, urged tourists to exercise caution. "The currents in those waters are constant — if you just float there, you will keep drifting out to sea," Park said.