Seoul Metro, which operates and manages the capital's subway system, logged about 820,000 lost items over the past six years, with the number rising every year.
A total of 820,106 items were reported lost between 2021 and September of this year, a span of five years and nine months, according to data the operator submitted to Rep. Hwang Hee of the Democratic Party of Korea, a member of the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, released on the 16th.
The annual count climbed steadily from 101,618 in 2021 to 167,738 last year, an increase of about 65% over five years. Through September this year, 123,879 items had been reported, putting the total on pace to exceed 160,000 for the year.
Wallets were the most common item at 191,223, followed by clothing at 125,174, mobile phones at 114,834 and bags at 109,240. Cash was turned in 52,859 times, totaling 2.98 billion won (about $2.1 million).
Even as reports increased, the share of items returned directly to their owners fell each year. The direct-return rate dropped from 65.6% in 2021 to 63% in 2022, 60% in 2023, 56.9% in 2024 and 51.5% last year. Through September this year, the rate stood at 49.1%, below half.
Items Handed to Police After Seven Days
Seoul Metro holds lost items for seven days and turns over to police any that are not claimed within that period. During the same period, 18 cases of misconduct by Seoul Metro employees involving lost property were confirmed. Most ended in internal disciplinary action such as reprimands or pay cuts, but last year an employee who embezzled a wallet found on a train was fined.
"Lost items are increasing every year, yet the share actually returned to their owners has fallen to about half," Hwang said. "The operator should work to help citizens recover lost belongings quickly and easily, while putting in place internal controls to root out misconduct in handling lost property and restore trust in its management system."
Passengers who leave belongings behind can recover them by noting the train number and the time they got off and reporting it immediately to a station attendant. Lost items can also be searched on the Seoul Metro website's lost-and-found page and through the police complaints portal Police Minwon 24.