A missing South Korean woman in her 30s remains unfound a month after disappearing while snorkeling in Indonesia. Although local rescue authorities conducted an 8-day search without finding any significant clues, her acquaintances have taken to social media to seek witnesses.
Disappearance During Snorkeling Trip in Gili Trawangan
On November 5, posters seeking Cheon Yu-ri (31), who went missing on October 6 in Gili Trawangan, Indonesia, spread rapidly across social media platforms like Threads. The posters included Cheon’s photo, physical description, and the clothing she wore at the time of her disappearance. She is 172 cm tall, weighs 62 kg, and was reportedly wearing a mint-colored top, black shorts, and black slippers when she went missing. It is also noted that she may have been wearing a snorkeling mask and an action camera.
An acquaintance of Cheon who shared the poster stated, “She has not yet returned to her family’s arms after disappearing during snorkeling in Gili Trawangan, Indonesia, on October 6, 2026,” and requested tips from anyone who was at the scene at the time. In particular, they are looking for people who were near Karma Kayak and Turtle Point on the northern coast of Gili Trawangan between 12:30 PM and 2:00 PM on the day of the disappearance.
Search Operations and Current Status
According to Indonesia’s state-run Antara news agency, Cheon went snorkeling with a companion in front of a coastal restaurant in Gili Trawangan, North Lombok Regency, West Nusa Tenggara, around 12:30 PM on October 6. At the time, Cheon separated from her group to look for sea turtles, and a witness stated they saw her swimming or floating in the water without any apparent difficulty.
However, when her companion returned to the shore around 2:00 PM, Cheon was nowhere to be found. After searching the surrounding area with local residents and failing to find her, they reported her missing to the local police. Upon receiving the report, local rescue authorities deployed the navy, police, and rescue personnel to begin the search. Despite mobilizing divers, drones, and rescue boats and expanding the search radius, they were unable to confirm Cheon’s whereabouts.
The search authorities extended the originally scheduled period by one day, conducting searches for a total of 8 days before officially ending the search on October 13. However, they maintain the position that the search could resume if new clues are discovered. A month after her disappearance, the exact circumstances and current whereabouts of Cheon remain unconfirmed.
