Questions Raised Over Jang Mi-ran's Death as Boyfriend Says, "It Was Scary Every Time I Passed By" ... Local Resident Says "It Is Almost Impossible to Hang a Rope There"

[Financial News] The boyfriend of Jang Mi-ran, who went missing in Jeju Province and was found dead at a palm farm 104 days later, has raised questions about the location where she was discovered.
According to the Jeju Provincial Police Agency on the 25th, the body found at a palm farm in Hallim-eup, Jeju City, was identified through an autopsy as that of missing person Jang Mi-ran.
During the autopsy, conducted from 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. that day, her identity was confirmed through dental examination. Police said, "Fingerprints had been lost, and a forensic odontologist gave a verbal opinion that the dental findings matched the missing person," adding, "DNA has also been collected and is being urgently analyzed."
The autopsy found no signs such as unusual fractures or injuries that would suggest criminal involvement. However, the body had decomposed to the point that fingerprints were already gone.
Based on the position and location where the body was found, police are examining the possibility that Jang died by hanging.
Acting Commissioner General of the Korean National Police Agency Jaesung Yoo told a plenary session of the Security and Public Administration Committee that "there are still no signs from the presumed body of Jang that would suggest homicide," but added, "According to a report I received from the Jeju Provincial Police Agency chief, she is believed to have died by hanging."
So far, no clear evidence of homicide has been found. Still, some experts have pointed out that it is difficult to determine the cause of death based only on the condition of the body at the time it was found, given the advanced stage of decomposition.
Questions have also been raised about the place where the body was discovered. The spot where Jang was found was a palm grove about 400 meters from the long-term lodging she had left around 10:15 p.m. on May 12. It was less than a 10-minute walk from the lodging, but it was a remote area with no streetlights or closed-circuit television cameras.
Jang's boyfriend also said he could not understand the location where she was found. In an interview with TV Chosun, he said, "I don't understand it either," adding, "It was a place she said was scary every time she passed by, so I don't understand why she was found there."

In addition, an online user who said they were a local resident of Jeju Province questioned the geographical features of the palm farm on an online community.
The user said Canary Island date palms were densely planted inside the farm. They claimed, "Canary Island date palms are densely planted at the farm," and added, "Because of their nature, they have an enormous number of sharp, hard, thorn-like parts." The user also claimed, "If you get close, you get pricked, and unlike ordinary trees, they do not have branches, so even for a man, it is almost impossible to hang a rope there."

Meanwhile, police say the likelihood of criminal involvement remains low for now, but they are investigating all possibilities to determine the exact cause and circumstances of death.


[email protected] Han Seung-gon Reporter