FIFE, Wash. — A King County father is spending another Christmas without his son, who went missing nearly 5 years ago.
“He is still stranded in Korea. And there is practically no hope that I have that he will come back anytime soon,” said Jay Sung.
He describes it as a never-ending battle since 2019. Sung told KIRO 7 he has full custody of his then 3-year-old son, Bryan.
He and his ex-wife agreed that Bryan could go to South Korea for only 3 weeks.
“Korea’s a signatory state of Hague Convention, so I thought there would be no practical danger, so I let him go,” Sung explained.
Hague Convention is a treaty that protects children from international abduction by a parent and encourages the quick return of a child to their home country.
With Korea being a part of this agreement, Sung thought there was nothing to worry about.
“The first thing that came to my mind was denial. No, this cannot be happening. There’s a law. There’s regulation, Korea made a promise,” Sung said.
Little did he know, that would be one of the last times he’d see his son in person. Until this day, Sung says there hasn’t been much progress.
“It’s been five years while Korea has been ignoring this issue, turning their head away from this big issue, this big injustice,” he said.
According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Bryan has been on the missing and endangered list since June 3, 2019.
A felony warrant for Custodial Interference was issued for his mother, Ming Jung Cho, in 2020.
“The pain that I get as a dad will be incomparable to all the pain that eventually he will have to experience once he knows the truth. Once he finds out why he ended up growing up without his dad,” Sung said.
Sung has gotten support from members of Congress. Washington State Rep. Kim Schrier released this statement about the situation:
Representative Schrier is doing everything in her power to swiftly return Bryan to his father, Jay. It is frustrating that Korean officials have not enforced the legally required return of Bryan to his father in the United States, where he belongs. This is not a ‘civil matter’ but rather a gross injustice and a disregard for Bryan’s welfare and the U.S. justice system. She will continue to advocate on behalf of Jay and Bryan, and hopes they are reunited soon.
He’s not only fighting to bring back Bryan but also to make up for the time he couldn’t spend with him.
“I’m hoping Bryan will still remember those moments. Bryan, I just want to say that dad still loves you. And that will never stop loving you,” he said.
On Monday, Sung says you can expect to see a picture of Bryan on a billboard off I-5 in Fife to get his message across.
As families spend Christmas Day together, Sung will be there calling for his son’s return.
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