Police said the remains, believed to be those of 37-year-old Jang Mi-ran, were discovered on Monday at a palm tree farm in Hallim, a tourist town on the southern resort island, about a 10-minute walk from a guesthouse where she had been staying long term.
The remains were severely decomposed, but Jang was reportedly wearing the same clothes she had on when she left the guesthouse. Her mobile phone, bracelet and other belongings were also found at the scene.
Police are conducting forensic analysis to confirm the identity of the remains and determine the exact cause and time of death. Investigators believe foul play is unlikely based on the condition and circumstances in which the remains were found. No suicide note was found.
Jang was last seen leaving the guesthouse on May 12, and her disappearance was reported three days later by a man who had apparently been staying with her.
But a police officer in Jeju allegedly closed the case without informing his superiors, after telling Jang's family members and others that he had contacted her by phone and that she had asked not to be searched for, even though he had never actually spoken with her.
The case only came to public attention after it was belatedly revealed that the officer initially assigned to it had closed the case for unspecified reasons without speaking to Jang or otherwise confirming her safety.
Jang's bereaved family members have criticized police, saying her remains were found just a short distance from where she had been staying and questioning why they failed to find her during the initial search.
The same officer is also accused of prematurely closing the missing-person case of a man in his 60s, who was found dead last Saturday. In a similar manner, the officer allegedly told the man's family that he had contacted him and that he did not want to be found.
Several other bodies believed to be those of missing people have also been found on the island over the past week.
These incidents have exposed vulnerabilities in the police system for handling cases involving missing adults. When a person is reported missing, police typically use phone data and other information to determine the person's location and conduct searches. Officers are typically required to confirm a missing person's safety through direct contact, a video call or a call with a family member before closing a case. These procedures are intended to prevent cases in which a person who has been abducted or otherwise victimized by a criminal is wrongly reported as safe.
Unlike cases involving children, missing adult cases can be closed if they say they do not want to be found, since adults have the right to leave home voluntarily for their own reasons.
According to the National Police Agency, 70,591 of the 70,814 adults reported missing last year or 99.7 percent had their cases closed without a full-scale police search. Some police officers admitted that these cases are sometimes handled in a less proactive manner to reduce workloads, suggesting the practice may be rampant across the country rather than confined to Jeju.
AJP Takeaways
• Jang Mi-ran, a 37-year-old woman who went missing on May 12, 2026, was reportedly found dead at a palm tree farm in Hallim, Jeju, on Aug. 24, about a 10-minute walk from the guesthouse where she had been staying.
• Jeju police are conducting forensic analysis to confirm the identity of the remains and determine the cause and time of death. Investigators currently believe foul play is unlikely, and no suicide note was found.
• A Jeju police officer allegedly closed Jang's missing person case without speaking with her or confirming her safety, while telling her family that he had contacted her and that she did not want to be found.
• The same officer is also accused of prematurely closing the missing person case of a man in his 60s, who was later found dead. Several other bodies believed to belong to missing people have also been found on Jeju.
• National Police Agency data show that 70,591 of 70,814 adults reported missing in 2025, or 99.7 percent, had their cases closed without a full-scale police search, raising concerns that inadequate handling of missing adult cases may be a nationwide issue.
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