Jeju Police Re-examine 298 Missing Persons Cases... Will They Reveal Today Whether Additional Cases Were 'Falsely Closed'?
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- 2026-09-01 07:56:41
- Updated
- 2026-09-01 07:56:41
According to the Jeju Police Agency on the 1st, the police announced the results of the investigation into the false closing of missing persons reports by Police Officer A (34) of the Jeju West Police Station and transferred Officer A to the Jeju District Prosecutors' Office under arrest. The police conducted a full inspection of 298 missing persons cases handled by Officer A from March 10 of last year to July 23 of this year while he was working in the missing persons team at the Jeju West Police Station. They deployed 20 police personnel to re-examine whether the safety of the missing persons was actually confirmed and whether there were any problems in the case closing process.
Of the 298 cases, 235 were registered in the missing persons profiling system. It was determined that the remaining 63 cases were either not entered into the system or were deleted from the management list after registration. Therefore, the most attention in today's announcement is focused on how legitimate unregistered or deleted cases and improperly handled cases were distinguished among the 63, and whether additional cases of false closure were confirmed beyond the existing two.
The number of cases handled by Officer A itself is also at the center of the controversy. According to data submitted by the National Police Agency to the National Assembly, 1,048 missing adult cases were reported in Jeju during Officer A's tenure on the missing persons team. 44% of the total.
46%. This means that approximately 3 out of 10 adult missing person cases in Jeju were closed under the name of Police Sergeant A. The scene in Hallim-eup, Jeju City, where the body of Mr.
Jang was found 104 days after his disappearance due to the police's false closing of a missing person case, is currently under cordon. The Jeju Police deployed about 20 officers to re-examine the safety verification and the appropriateness of the closing process for the 298 missing person cases handled by Sergeant A. It was found that 63 of these cases were either not registered in the missing persons profiling system or had been deleted.
/Photo = News1 Considering that there are a total of 12 officers on the missing persons teams at the three police stations in the province—Jeju East, West, and Seogwipo—Sergeant A's case count stands out. If the total number of closed cases is simply divided among the 12 officers, it amounts to 87 to 88 cases per person, meaning Sergeant A's 298 cases exceed three times that amount. However, this does not mean that Sergeant A searched or investigated all 298 cases alone.
It is difficult to judge the inadequacy of the case solely based on the number of cases processed, as it includes instances where Officer A took charge of the computerized closure after the missing persons team had jointly handled the case. To date, two cases of false closure have been confirmed as criminal cases. Officer A is suspected of closing the case of Ms.
On the 1st, the Jeju Provincial Police Agency will transfer Sergeant A to the prosecution and release the results of a full review of the 298 missing persons cases he handled during his tenure on the missing persons team. /Photo = News1 【Financial News Jeju = Reporter Jeong Yong-bok】 The police, who have been investigating the false closing of missing persons reports in Jeju, will release the results of a full investigation into 298 missing persons cases handled by the officer in charge on the 1st. The main issues are whether there were additional false closings besides the two cases already confirmed, and how many of the 63 cases that were omitted or deleted from the missing persons profiling system were handled improperly.
Ms. Jang was found dead at a palm farm in Hallim-eup, Jeju City, on August 24, about 100 days after the initial report. Officer A is also suspected of closing a missing person case involving a man in his 60s, reported on July 2, by claiming that contact had been made without actually speaking to him.
The man in question was also found dead on August 22. In particular, as it was additionally confirmed that the case was closed after receiving approval from a superior officer via the 112 system, the police command and supervision system has emerged as a key issue in the investigation and internal audit. The focus of the investigation is to determine the procedures by which the superior officer verified and approved the officer in charge's false records.
It is understood that Sergeant A initially claimed to have spoken with the missing persons during the early stages of the police investigation, but admitted that he did not actually make the calls after objective evidence, such as call records, was presented. The police have even deployed a profiler to verify the motive for the crime and the officer's psychological state at the time. The area around a palm farm in Hallim-eup, Jeju City, where a woman in her 30s, Ms.
Jang, was found dead last August. It was found that the missing person report for Ms.
Jang was closed last May by the officer in charge without actually verifying her safety. Ms.
Jang was found dead about 100 days after the initial report. /Photo = News1 The investigation into internal police responsibility is also continuing.
The Jeju Police are conducting a separate inspection targeting former and current chiefs of the Jeju West Police Station, the head of the Criminal Investigation Division, and the command line of missing persons investigations. The core issue is why the organization's internal management and supervision system failed to detect an individual's fraudulent closure of a case.
On the 1st, the Jeju Provincial Police Agency will transfer Sergeant A to the prosecution and release the results of a full review of the 298 missing persons cases he handled during his tenure on the missing persons team. /Photo = News1 【Financial News Jeju = Reporter Jeong Yong-bok】 The police, who have been investigating the false closing of missing persons reports in Jeju, will release the results of a full investigation into 298 missing persons cases handled by the officer in charge on the 1st. The main issues are whether there were additional false closings besides the two cases already confirmed, and how many of the 63 cases that were omitted or deleted from the missing persons profiling system were handled improperly.
It has mandated that any suspected cases of inadequate or improper closure be immediately reinvestigated. "Non-face-to-face closure," where a case is concluded after confirming the missing person via telephone, will be prohibited in principle.
Instead, a procedure will be introduced requiring managers, such as the head of the Criminal Investigation Division, to approve the closure only after verifying records confirming the face-to-face interaction and safety of the missing person. Reorganization of the work system is also being pursued to ensure that multiple personnel handle missing persons investigations during nights and holidays.
Once Sergeant A is transferred to the prosecution, the focus of the investigation will shift to the Jeju District Prosecutors' Office. The Jeju District Prosecutors' Office has already formed a dedicated investigation team with the head of Criminal Division 1 serving as the chief prosecutor.
Based on police investigation records, the motive for the crime, the circumstances of the false closure, the existence of additional cases, and related responsibilities are expected to be examined. The weight of today's investigation results depends on what is found after re-examining the 298 cases.
If additional improper handling or false closure is confirmed among the 63 unregistered or deleted cases, this incident could expand beyond the misconduct of individual police officers to become a matter concerning the procedures for closing missing persons investigations and internal controls.
[email protected] Jeong Yong-bok Reporter