Jeju officer cites workload after falsely closing missing-person cases

A Jeju police officer allegedly closed missing-person cases by claiming he had contacted people he had never reached. Two of those people were later found dead.

The officer, identified by his surname Bu, told investigators that he felt overburdened by the work required to keep cases open. Police said he had become complacent because the missing people were ordinary adults. Five police profilers who interviewed him cited accumulated responsibilities, fatigue and neglect, as well as what they called an avoidant and irresponsible approach to his duties.

Bu worked on Jeju’s investigation team from March 10, 2025, to July 23, 2026, and closed 298 missing-person cases. That represented about 11% of all missing-person reports filed on the island during the period, and roughly three times the simple per-officer average, although some cases involved joint handling.

The investigation began after the family of 37-year-old Jang Mi-ran reported her missing again on July 19. She had first been reported missing on May 15. Bu allegedly recorded that he had contacted her and that she did not want her location disclosed, but investigators found no record of such contact. Police said he later entered her as having died in a traffic accident to remove the case from active management. Jang was found dead on Aug. 24 at a palm farm in western Jeju.

A second case involved a man in his 60s who was reported missing on July 2 and found dead on Aug. 22 after police resumed the search. Bu had also falsely claimed to have contacted him. Police’s broader review found 25 suspected false closures or records among the 298 cases, while the Jeju District Prosecutors’ Office formed a dedicated investigation team.

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Bu said he had been complacent because the missing people were ordinary adults and that he falsely closed the cases because he felt burdened by the work involved in handling cases that remained open.