Opposition Slams Police Over Delayed Search in Jeju Missing Person Case

South Korea's Democratic Party has sharply criticized the police's handling of a missing person case in Jeju, alleging that a false report by an officer led to critical delays in the search for the victim. Members of the party's Police Reform Task Force visited the site where the body was eventually discovered, demanding accountability and systemic improvements.

Lawmakers, including National Assembly Administration and Safety Committee Chairman Kim Young-jin, inspected the area and received reports on the search operations. They pressed police officials on discrepancies, such as the differing locations of the victim's last known mobile phone signal and the discovery of the body. Police explained that the phone's location was near a base station's boundary, and the area where the body was found included farmland and a passageway, questioning why the discovery took so long.

The party's joint leaders for the task force, Kim Young-bae and Kim Nam-hee, along with committee members Lee Ju-hee and Kim Dong-ah, emphasized the need for a thorough review of the police's response protocols. They are calling for a complete overhaul of the system governing missing person searches and subsequent handling, aiming to prevent similar failures in the future and ensure more effective and timely responses to such critical incidents.