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The case of the older woman with dementia wandering along the highway

Published: 26 Sep. 2025, 00:02

Kang Ju-an

The author is an editorial writer at the JoongAng Ilbo.

On the afternoon of May 5, a call came in to Korea’s 112 emergency line. “An older woman is walking along National Route 3 in Gwangju, Gyeonggi,” the report said. Police rushed to the scene and escorted a 79-year-old woman back home.

It was only the beginning. In the weeks that followed, reports continued from different drivers. One said the woman was standing on the median of the same highway. Another called at 4 a.m. on June 20, saying, “I almost hit an older woman on the road.” Since February, more than 60 such calls have been made to the emergency hotline, all describing the same woman wandering the roadway.

Police rescue an older woman with dementia who was wandering around her neighborhood in Seongbuk District, central Seoul, on July 17, 2024. [JOONGANG ILBO]

The immediate danger is the risk of a traffic accident. Yet the strain on local police, who must respond every time, is also significant. Officers and welfare officials have held meetings, but the reality contrasts sharply with repeated government pledges to protect dementia patients. At a policy forum on Sept. 2, Gyeonggi Gov. Kim Dong-yeon said, “Care is not only a personal or family matter but a shared responsibility. The Moon Jae-in administration introduced the national dementia care program to shoulder the burden with patients and families.” The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced in 2023 that it would expand rental of GPS tracking devices, promising to strengthen the safety net. But when the woman wandered into traffic, the responsibility by the state was nowhere to be seen.

Investigators learned the woman lived alone near Route 3. She had never married and had no children. A nephew occasionally stepped in when issues arose, but given her tendency to wander, constant supervision or admission to a care facility was necessary. Authorities said she had enough personal assets to cover the costs. During his campaign, President Lee Jae Myung promised to introduce a public trust system to manage the property of older people with dementia. Yet the woman remained at risk despite having the means to afford safer care.

Police recommended placement in a facility, warning of the risk of a serious accident. But the nephew declined. The local dementia care center in Gwangju also attempted to arrange admission, only to face the same refusal. A caregiver visits her home, but that support falls far short of what is needed. Regular medication is essential, but without someone to ensure compliance, her health deteriorates, and she ends up back on the road.

On Sept. 10, after another emergency call, police used mental health law provisions to admit her temporarily. Doctors advised further examination. But when officers sought to extend the stay through administrative admission, the nephew intervened, requesting her release. She was discharged, and within two days, two more emergency calls were made about her presence on the highway.

The nephew is not her legal guardian or obligated caregiver, yet in practice, his opposition blocked hospitalization or protective placement. Experts note that the United States and Japan handle such cases differently. Baek Jong-woo, a psychiatry professor at Kyung Hee University, said, “In the United States, police and doctors carrying out an emergency admission are granted immunity. In Japan, municipalities and public health centers operate well-defined systems for administrative admission.” In Korea, by contrast, procedures exist on paper but are difficult to enforce if a relative objects.

An older patient at a hospital in Eunpyeong District, northern Seoul, walks in the hallway on April 4, 2024. The Ministry of Health and Welfare designated Seobuk Hospital in Eunpyeong District as Seoul’s first “dementia relief hospital” in early 2024. [YONHAP]

Because the nephew is not a direct family member, he carries no duty of care. But this leaves the woman in a dangerous gap, unable to rely on family and unprotected by the state. Specialists argue that Korea urgently needs a system, like those abroad, where authorities can assume responsibility for older dementia patients living alone.

The risks extend beyond the woman herself. “It is not only her safety at stake,” said Lee Yoon-ho, secretary general of the Citizens’ Coalition for Safety. “Drivers who hit her could face criminal charges, or in swerving to avoid her, a major accident could result.”

With more than 60 emergency calls already this year, police and citizens alike are waiting anxiously. The outcome of her repeated wanderings along the highway remains uncertain, but the sense of foreboding is growing.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.