Jeju police officer arrested for falsifying missing persons

The disappearance of 37-year-old Jang Mi-ran from Hallim-eup, Jeju, has triggered a reinvestigation following allegations of police misconduct. Jang has been missing since between May 12 and May 13. The case drew scrutiny after a night duty officer, Sergeant A, reportedly informed superiors that contact had been made with the missing woman, leading to the case being closed. However, the family denied any such contact, and subsequent investigations found no recent mobile phone, credit card, or hospital activity.

As the Jeju Provincial Police Agency investigates the officer for potential dereliction of duty, the family has faced secondary victimization. Authorities reported that individuals have been making prank calls to the family’s tip-line and spreading mockery and unverified information in online communities. In response, the National Investigation Headquarters announced a crackdown on these actions, stating that such behavior may violate laws regarding stalking, defamation, and insult.

Sergeant A of the Jeju Seobu Police Station has now been urgently arrested, facing charges including dereliction of duty, forgery of public electronic records, and obstruction of justice. Investigations revealed the officer allegedly falsified records to close cases without verifying safety and deleted data from the missing person profiling system.

A second case involving a man, identified as B, was also found to have been falsely closed by Sergeant A. After his family re-reported the disappearance, B was discovered deceased in Jeju on August 22, approximately 51 days after his initial disappearance. The incident has prompted calls for legislative reform regarding how healthy adults are classified, and the Jeju Provincial Police Agency is now conducting a full audit of the officer’s previous cases.