Jeju police officer indicted for falsely closing missing persons cases

A police officer in Jeju has been indicted under detention for falsely closing missing persons cases. The officer, a sergeant at the Jeju West Police Station, is accused of neglecting his duties and falsifying official documents and electronic records.

Investigations revealed that the officer reported contact with missing individuals—including a woman in her 30s and a man in his 60s—without actually verifying their safety. In one instance, he entered a missing woman into the system as a ‘traffic accident casualty’ to remove her from the management list. Both individuals were later found dead. The officer reportedly falsified reports to avoid the administrative burden of ongoing case management and handovers.

The Jeju District Prosecutors' Office has expanded the charges to include the forgery of official documents and violations of the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection. The prosecution is also investigating systemic failures within the Jeju Police Agency, noting that mandatory joint reviews were conducted perfunctorily via group chats and that supervisory oversight was insufficient.

Following a full audit of 298 cases handled by the officer, authorities identified 25 instances of improper handling or unauthorized deletion of missing person profiles. The police are currently working on institutional reforms to strengthen approval processes for closing missing persons cases.