Jeju police officer arrested over alleged false closure of missing person cases

A police officer in Jeju, South Korea, has been taken into emergency custody on suspicion of fabricating case closures for missing persons, with new evidence suggesting he may have improperly closed another case.

The officer, affiliated with the Jeju Western Police Station, was arrested on Tuesday afternoon in Jeju City. Authorities allege that the officer processed a missing person case as closed on July 2, despite the individual's whereabouts remaining unconfirmed. This discovery led to the officer's apprehension.

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The officer's involvement in the fabricated closure of a missing person case, which was reportedly resolved on the 2nd of last month for similar reasons, led to his emergency arrest.

Previously, the officer was under investigation without detention for dereliction of duty. He was accused of improperly closing a missing person report filed on May 15 for Ms. Jang Mi-ran, 37. The officer reportedly claimed to have contacted Ms. Jang, leading to the case's closure just over two hours after the report was filed. However, subsequent police verification found no record of such a call.

Further investigation revealed that the officer also deleted data from the missing person profiling system. The Jeju Provincial Police Agency has initiated a comprehensive review of all missing person cases handled by the officer. A spokesperson stated that the officer's involvement in the fabricated closure of a missing person case, which was reportedly resolved on the 2nd of last month for similar reasons, led to his emergency arrest. The Anti-Corruption and Economic Crime Investigation Unit will conduct a thorough investigation.

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The Anti-Corruption and Economic Crime Investigation Unit will conduct a thorough investigation.