A police officer in Jeju, arrested for falsely closing a missing person case, will be sent to prosecutors on September 1.
The police, who initially leaned towards a 'suicide' ruling in the case of a missing woman in her 30s, have since changed their position to 'cause of death undetermined,' raising concerns about their hasty judgment.
According to the Jeju Police Agency on August 31, the officer, identified as A, in his 30s and belonging to the Jeju Western Police Station, will be transferred to the Jeju District Prosecutors' Office on September 1 on charges of neglect of duty, forgery and use of public documents, and obstruction of justice.
A is accused of falsely informing the person who reported the missing woman, Ms. Jang, that he had made contact with her, leading to the case's premature closure. He is also alleged to have deleted related data from the missing person profiling system. Last month, he was implicated in a similar false closure of a missing person case involving a man in his 60s.
According to reports from Yonhap News, the police have completed a comprehensive review of 298 missing person cases handled by A. During the investigation, instances were found where A's false closures were approved by superiors. The police are currently conducting internal investigations into managers and fellow officers, and decisions regarding disciplinary actions or criminal charges will be made based on the findings. No additional charges have been reported so far.
Ms. Jang was found dead on August 24, 104 days after her disappearance, at a palm tree farm in Hallim-eup, Jeju City. On the day her body was discovered, police assessed the position and condition of the body and determined that the likelihood of homicide was low, initially stating they suspected suicide.
Acting Police Chief Yoo Jae-sung also reported to the National Assembly that he received information from the Jeju Police Chief indicating that Ms. Jang was presumed to have hanged herself.
The police continued to suspect that Ms. Jang had hanged herself from a palm tree, as a cord believed to have been taken from her residence was found at the scene, and police confirmed whether the tree could support a person's weight, according to Yonhap News.
However, Hong Seok-ki, head of the National Investigation Agency, stated at a press conference on August 31 that the cause of death was confirmed as undetermined due to body decomposition, adding, "We are keeping all possibilities open in our investigation." This contradicts the police's initial assessment of 'suspected suicide.'
The police conducted a reenactment experiment on August 27 to verify the possibility of hanging, but they stated that "results have not yet been obtained" and that professional review is necessary.
The Jeju District Prosecutors' Office will examine A's motives for the crime, additional cases of false closures, and the extent of any victimization.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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