Police appeal for help finding missing Korean woman

Police made a public appeal for help on Thursday in locating a South Korean woman who vanished in Hong Kong this week.

Cha Jung-youn, 38, who came to Hong Kong in mid-December to visit her boyfriend, has not been heard from since she left his home in Taikoo Shing on Wednesday.

She was not in his apartment on Wednesday night when her 42-year-old boyfriend returned home after work. He reported her missing at about 10.30am on Thursday.

Cha had left behind her mobile phone and belongings in the flat, police said.

“Her boyfriend failed to contact her, feared for her safety and then called police,” a police spokeswoman said.

An initial investigation shows she does not have any relatives in Hong Kong, according to police.

Police said Cha was last seen wearing a pink jacket, black trousers and a pair of slippers.

She is about 1.8 metres tall, with a medium build and long hair.

Anyone with information should contact Chai Wan police on 2595 2200, or the regional missing persons unit of Hong Kong Island police on 2860 1045, or contact any police station.

Four other foreign-born people are currently missing in Hong Kong, according to the police website.

They are Gregory Winston Brooks, Canadian tourist Ani Ashekian, part-time English tutor Terry Ridgley and Dutch-Chinese visitor Chang Ma-kee.

Brooks, 49, went missing on June 17 last year. Ridgley and Chang were reported missing separately in 2010, while Ashekian disappeared in Hong Kong in 2008.