Jeju police missed four opportunities to uncover 'fake closure' of missing person case

Jeju Provincial Police Commissioner Ko Pyung-ki has apologized for a subordinate officer's severe dereliction of duty, stating that the police not only failed in their duty to protect citizens but also inflicted irreparable pain on families through deceitful actions.

The case involves a 30-year-old woman, identified as Ms. Jang, who was reported missing. Her body was discovered 104 days after the initial report. A 60-year-old man, also reported missing, was found dead 51 days after his report. The primary responsibility lies with a detective at the Jeju Western Police Station who allegedly closed the case on the day of the missing person report, falsely claiming to have spoken with the individual.

Despite the manual requiring proper procedures, the detective appears to have recorded the fabricated closure in the duty log. The following day, a supervisor reportedly failed to notice the false report. Had the 'Missing Persons Profiling System' been checked, it would have revealed the falsity of the detective's claim that the missing person was safe, as the detective had inexplicably removed the case from the management list by entering a false reason for closure: 'traffic accident death.'

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The police, who should be responsible for the lives and safety of the people, not only abandoned their duties but also inflicted indelible wounds on the families with false words and actions.

Further opportunities to uncover the truth were missed. When Ms. Jang's cousin filed a second report in Seoul on July 19, stating her relative had been out of contact in Jeju for two months, the Seoul Nowon Police Station noted the absence of the May missing person case in the system. However, neither the Seoul station, which transferred the case, nor the Jeju Western Police Station, which received it, questioned why the May report had 'evaporated.' The Jeju station's supervisor could have accessed deleted case histories on the internal network but did not review them.

The Jeju Provincial Police Commissioner acknowledged the Western Police Station's failure in this regard. It took nearly three weeks after the second report for the Western Police Station to confirm on August 10 that the detective had not actually spoken to Ms. Jang. Police stated that their primary objective was locating the missing person, and during the process of searching for clues like 'living responses,' they discovered the false closure by reviewing Ms. Jang's call records. However, Commissioner Ko only ordered a preliminary investigation on August 14, after being informed of the facts the previous day, and the detective was formally booked on charges of dereliction of duty and other offenses on August 14. It took 26 days from the second report to initiate a formal investigation into the detective.

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The Western Police Station has a fault in not being able to see that.