Jeju police officer arrested for falsely closing disappearance reports

A police officer in Jeju has been arrested on suspicion of falsely closing disappearance reports. The Jeju District Court issued an arrest warrant for a sergeant from the Jeju Western Police Station on charges including dereliction of duty, forgery of public electronic records, and obstruction of official duties.

The investigation revealed that the officer allegedly misled reporters by claiming missing persons were safe and used 'death codes' in the system to delete records. The officer is suspected of mishandling approximately 298 cases, including the disappearance of Jang Mi-ran, whose body was recently discovered.

In response to the scandal, the Korean National Police Agency has placed four high-ranking officials from the Jeju Western Police Station on standby, including the current and former station chiefs, the head of the criminal investigation division, and the missing persons team leader. A full investigation into the officer's handled cases is currently underway.