Cheil Worldwide and Korean National Police Agency have launched the Hope Tape campaign to help find long-term missing children.
The launch coincides with International Missing Children’s Day (May 25), earlier this week.
In South Korea, 661 children have been missing for over one year; 638 of those have been missing for more than five years.
Hope Take initiative
Cheil created a new packaging tape, also named Hope Tape, which contains details of 28 missing children.
Boxes delivered across the nation will be transformed into a new medium spreading information crucial to finding the missing children.
The tape carries children’s photos taken around the time of their disappearance; their age progression images using KNPA’s technology; and other information including physical features and places last seen.
It also contains a QR code that connects to police’s dedicated mobile app where people can report and search about missing children, and register fingerprints of their children that can be later used in case of disappearance.
From May to June, Hope Tape will be used in 620 thousand parcels to be delivered across the country through courier service providers Korea post and Hanjin Transportation.
Community help
“We ask for the urgent attention and cooperation of citizens and communities around the country to help give hope and encouragement to families of children who have gone missing” the KNPA said.
“By organising the Hope Tape campaign, we seek to draw attention to this terribly sad situation.”
Seongphil Hwang, creative director at Cheil Worldwide, said: “With the coronavirus outbreak, people tend to stay home and use door-to-door delivery services more, so parcels can be a highly effective medium to spread information about missing children.
“We wish Hope Tape provides real help to families who are searching for their loved ones.”
Cheil also created a film showing the process of how the tape is made and delivered.
It’s promoted in concert with KNPA, Korea Post, and Hanjin Transportation via official websites and social media channels.
Cheil said it plans to open up the design rights of Hope Tape to companies and organisations that wish to participate in order to further spread the campaign.