Four Missing Persons Found Dead in Jeju Over Three Days, Including Two Cases of False Case Closure by Police

[Financial News, Jeju = Jung Yong-bok] Four people who had been reported missing in Jeju Province were found dead one after another over the course of three days. In two of the cases, the same police officer had falsely closed the cases without confirming the missing persons' safety, and the searches resumed only after families filed new reports. The other two were separate missing-person cases.
According to the Jeju Provincial Police Agency and the Jeju Coast Guard Station on the 24th, a body believed to be that of Jang Mi-ran, 37, who went missing in May, was found at around 10:46 a.m. that day at a palm farm in Suwon-ri, Hallim-eup, Jeju City.
It had been 104 days since Jang left her lodging. The discovery site was about 400 meters away, or roughly a five-minute walk, from the accommodation where she had stayed long-term.
The body was in an advanced state of decomposition. Clothing and shoes believed to have been worn by Jang at the time of her disappearance, along with a gold bracelet and a mobile phone, were also found. Police are confirming her identity and the exact cause of death through forensic examination and an autopsy.
Jang's missing-person report was filed with the Jeju Western Police Station on May 15. Officer A is under suspicion of closing the case about two and a half hours after the report was received, claiming that contact had been made, even though he had not actually spoken with Jang or confirmed her safety.
A similar pattern of false case closure was also found in another missing-person case involving a man in his 60s handled by Officer A.
A report on that man was filed on July 2, but Officer A is said to have told the family that contact had been made and then closed the case. After the family filed another report on the 21st, the man was found dead in Songdang-ri, Gujwa-eup, Jeju City, one day after the search resumed, on the 22nd.


At around 9:35 a.m. on the 24th, another missing person reported on the 12th was found dead during a police search near a valley in Aewol-eup, Jeju City. Police had continued searching for the person after the report was filed.
On the morning of the 23rd, a man believed to be in his 70s was found dead in waters near Shinhung-ri, Jocheon-eup, Jeju City. He was identified as the person reported missing to the Jeju Dongbu Police Station the previous day, and the Jeju Coast Guard is investigating his identity and the circumstances of his death.
Police investigations have expanded to other missing-person cases handled by Officer A. It was found that since March last year, Officer A had handled and closed 298 missing-person reports while working on the missing-person investigation team. Police are conducting a full review to determine whether the whereabouts and safety of the missing persons were actually confirmed in each case, and whether there were other false reports or inadequate handling.
The inspection unit of the National Police Agency has also launched an internal probe into the handling of the Jeju missing-person cases and the overall command, management, and supervision system. The agency is also pushing to change the computer system so that a manager, such as a team leader or division chief, must give final approval when a case closure is requested.
Jeju Island also plans to extend the retention period for public CCTV footage, expand AI-based coastal monitoring systems, and strengthen information sharing on search operations between the national police and the autonomous police.
This case raises the question of why the organization failed to catch one officer's false case closures. The Jeju cases also show that if an early search is halted, the critical window of opportunity and key evidence such as CCTV footage can disappear as well.
[email protected] Jung Yong-bok Reporter