MS Unsolved: The vanishing of a Singaporean student in Greece

MS Unsolved is a series that hopes to raise awareness of cold cases in Singapore and generate new leads. If you have any information on the cases, reach out to MS News or the police.

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A haunting mystery has plagued the family of an aspiring Singaporean doctor for more than a decade, ever since he vanished without a trace in Athens, Greece.

Kouk Leong Jin, then a 28-year-old fourth-year student from Duke-NUS Medical School, was reported missing on 27 Sept 2011.

He never showed up to the medical conference where he was due for a presentation — only leaving a missed call to one of his friends who was supposed to meet him there.

His vanishing led to an intensive search and extensive coverage by Greek media.

Despite various reported sightings, the whereabouts of Mr Kouk remain unknown to this day.

Wife receives email about his arrival in Greece

Mr Kouk first arrived in the city of Athens on 26 Sept 2011, two days before he was supposed to present a research paper at the Megaron Athens International Conference Centre.

After he arrived, he sent an email to his wife, Ms Seow Shu Ping, informing her of his arrival.

He further stated that he would be staying at the Golden Age Hotel in downtown Athens and was due to fly home on 1 Oct 2011, that Saturday.

This was the last time Ms Seow would hear from her husband, whom she had married just two weeks earlier.

The next day, Mr Kouk had reportedly called his friend, Mr Neo, who was in Greece for the same event.

After initially missing the call, Mr Neo called him back — only to find Mr Kouk’s phone switched off.

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