Jeju police officer accused of falsely closing missing persons cases released; court cites unlawful arrest

A police officer in Jeju, who was emergency detained on suspicion of fabricating case closures for two missing persons, is expected to be released. The Jeju District Court ruled that the emergency arrest of the officer, identified as Officer Boo, was unlawful because it did not meet the legal requirements for urgency.

The court determined that there was sufficient time to obtain an arrest warrant before detaining Officer Boo, as his whereabouts were known. The officer was initially arrested on June 22 on charges including dereliction of duty and falsifying electronic records. These charges stemmed from allegations that he falsely closed the cases of Jang Mi-ran, a woman in her 30s who had been missing for 104 days, and another man in his 60s.

Jang Mi-ran was found deceased on June 24 in a banana farm in Hanrim-eup, Jeju, 104 days after her disappearance. The 60-year-old man was also found dead on June 22 in Gujwa-eup, Jeju. Prior to their discovery, Officer Boo had reportedly informed Jang Mi-ran's family that she was "safe."

Despite the court's decision to release Officer Boo, the Jeju District Prosecutors' Office reportedly filed for an arrest warrant for him later on the same day.

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Officer Boo's emergency arrest did not meet the urgency requirements stipulated in the Code of Criminal Procedure. It does not appear that there was insufficient time to obtain an arrest warrant as Officer Boo's location was known.