The daughters of a Japanese woman who went missing a year ago are desperately holding onto hope that she may still be alive . Hinato and Madoka Tanahashi came here for a four - day manhunt and left for Japan last Friday , after appealing for help in their search from Gangwon Province Gov . Lee Kwang - jae , a women ’ s group in the town where she was last seen , and Hallyu star Ryu Si - won , of whom she was a devoted fan . Mother of three Eriko Tanahashi , who was 58 at the time of her disappearance , was last seen on the night of Jan . 1 , 2010 , with eyewitness reports of her staring off into the distance in a restaurant in Jumunjin . Eriko Tanahashi Heavyhearted and concerned about the disappearance of his avid fan , Ryu has been with the family throughout the ordeal . He sent a handwritten letter to the family last April and offered condolences to the worried daughters during their most recent visit to Korea . Ryu has appeared on national television , pleading for the nation and his fans to help search for the Hallyu fan . The singer and MC became an international star after starring in the hit SBS drama “ Beautiful Days ” which also aired in Japan . The daughters met with the Gangwon Province governor , who offered consolation , and the promise to devote resources to help locate the woman . “ We will mobilize all of Gangwon Province ’ s administrative power , ” said Lee . In a meeting with Tanahashi ’ s daughters , Lee said that it is Gangwon Province ’ s “ duty ” to find their mother . Lee has since been on a PR offensive , posting information about Tanahashi on all official and non - official websites within the provincial government , and requesting the help of many local newspapers . The province also distributed banners , containing descriptions and a picture of the woman throughout the area . “ Even though we are very worried that so few people have seen our mother , with the help of the governor we believe that we will find our mother , ” Hinato Tanahashi , the youngest of the three daughters , was quoted as saying in other news reports . Hinato Tanahashi meets with Gangwon Province Governor Lee Kwang - jae , in an appeal for help in finding her missing mother . ( JoongAng Ilbo ) Heartbroken by the woman ’ s story , Jumunjin Women ’ s Group Council president Kim Sae - yun jumped at the chance to provide support to her family . “ Your mother is still alive somewhere , ” Kim was quoted as saying in a daily newspaper . “ We will continue to look for your mother , ” she told Hinato and Madoka Tanahashi . Kim and other members of the council went out to help look for the missing woman , passing out flyers and asking people if they had seen her . Kim promised that she would keep raising awareness and find Tanahashi . After hearing her story earlier in the month , James Lee , CEO of Couple . net , also expressed a willingness to help and offered a 10 million won ( $ 9 , 000 ) reward for information on the whereabouts of Tanahashi . The widow of three years arrived alone in Korea on Dec . 28 , 2009 , and checked into a hotel in southern Seoul as a nine - day vacation gift from her daughters . According to hotel staff , Tanahashi left for Chuncheon , Gangwon Province . After “ Winter Sonata ” was filmed there , the province gained enormous popularity among Japanese tourists . Tanahashi , however , never checked out of her hotel or returned to her home in Japan . Worried , her daughters filed a police report at home . The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency ordered a massive manhunt at the time of her disappearance but was unable to locate her . An eyewitness reported seeing her at a bus terminal in Gangneung , some 100 kilometers east of her intended destination on Jan . 1 , 2010 . Another eyewitness said the widow was alone at a restaurant in the coastal city at 7 p . m . the same day . At 9 p . m . , Tanahashi sent text messages to her friend in Japan using her mobile phone , her last reported activity . According to her daughters , Tanahashi had been to Korea several times in the past and loved Korean culture . At the time of her disappearance , Tanahashi was wearing a long white coat , black boots and a purple scarf . If you have any information on the whereabouts of Eriko Tanahashi contact Gangnam Police Station in Seoul at ( 02 ) 3497 - 3037 . By Robert Lee ( rjmlee @ heraldm . com )