Jeju police officer referred to prosecutors for falsifying missing persons cases

Jeju Island police misconduct missing persons falsified records Jang Mi-ran

A South Korean police officer, identified by the surname Bu, has been referred to prosecutors for falsely closing missing persons cases on Jeju Island. Bu admitted to prematurely closing cases to avoid the workload and pressure associated with case handovers. Investigations revealed that Bu falsely claimed to have contacted missing persons, including a 37-year-old woman named Jang Mi-ran and an elderly man, before closing their files.

In the case of Jang Mi-ran, Bu allegedly lied to her boyfriend, claiming she did not want contact, and even recorded a false death by traffic accident in the system. Jang's body was eventually discovered 104 days after her disappearance at a palm tree farm. While police initially suggested her death was a suicide by hanging, the National Forensic Service later determined the cause of death was unknown due to severe body decomposition.

Authorities have conducted a full investigation into 298 cases processed by Bu, identifying 25 additional suspicious instances involving false entries or deleted records. Bu faces charges of forgery of public electronic records, obstruction of official duties, and dereliction of duty. The scandal has prompted calls for police reform and a nationwide review of missing persons management protocols.

Entities

Bu · Hong Seok-gi · Hong Seok-ki · Hong Sug-gi · Jang Mi-ran · Jeju · Jeju District Prosecutors' Office · Jeju Island · Jeju Police Agency · Jeju Provincial Police · Jeju Provincial Police Agency · Jeju Seobu Police Station

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 10 SOURCES] Officer A processed 298 adult missing person cases between March last year and July this year. www.imaeil.com · idsn.co.kr · biz.heraldcorp.com · www.mbn.co.kr · www.jnilbo.com · +1 more
[● 12 SOURCES] Officer Bu admitted to not actually contacting the two missing persons before closing their cases. www.imaeil.com · idsn.co.kr · biz.heraldcorp.com · www.mbn.co.kr · www.jnilbo.com · +3 more
[● 5 SOURCES] Officer A's case closure rate was more than three times the average of other officers in the Jeju missing person teams. www.jnilbo.com
[● 5 SOURCES] Officer Bu processed 235 cases in the profiling system, while 63 cases were not entered or were deleted. www.jnilbo.com
[● 6 SOURCES] Officer A's cases accounted for approximately 28.4% of the 1,048 adult missing person reports in Jeju during that period. www.jnilbo.com
[● 10 SOURCES] Police are conducting a full investigation into all 298 adult missing person cases processed by Officer Bu. www.imaeil.com · idsn.co.kr · biz.heraldcorp.com · www.mbn.co.kr · www.jnilbo.com · +1 more
[● 6 SOURCES] Officer A is scheduled to be transferred to the prosecution on September 1st on charges of dereliction of duty and forgery of public electronic records. www.mbn.co.kr · www.jnilbo.com · www.kyeonggi.com · www.imaeil.com
[DISPUTED] The cause of death for Jang Mi-ran was determined to be unknown due to significant body decomposition. www.imaeil.com · idsn.co.kr · biz.heraldcorp.com · www.koreaherald.com · www.mbn.co.kr
[● 5 SOURCES] Officer Bu admitted to closing cases because he felt pressure regarding the workload involved in case handovers. www.kyeonggi.com · www.imaeil.com · www.bbc.co.uk · www.independent.co.uk
[● 3 SOURCES] 63 cases were not entered or were deleted from the profiling system. www.jnilbo.com · biz.heraldcorp.com
[● 4 SOURCES] Officer Bu processed 298 cases between March last year and July this year. www.jnilbo.com · www.kyeonggi.com · biz.heraldcorp.com · www.imaeil.com
[● 5 SOURCES] Officer Bu falsely claimed to have contacted missing persons before closing their cases. www.kyeonggi.com · www.imaeil.com · www.bbc.co.uk · www.independent.co.uk