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🇰🇷 South Korea /Crime & Justice

Victim's experience belongs to the victim [World View]

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

Analysis Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • A woman missing for over 100 days was found deceased, prompting criticism of police handling of the case.
  • The police system allowed a case to be closed as 'missing person's release' without proper verification, a flaw now being addressed.
  • The victim's family expressed frustration over the lack of information provided by police, contrasting it with information shared with the media.

A woman, Jang Mi-ran, missing for 104 days, was found deceased in Jeju. The discovery in a scenic area where the author once stayed has prompted reflection on the victim's final days.

Reporters know less than the family members who are the direct parties to the missing person case.

— Jang Mi-ran's familyThe family's frustration with the lack of information provided by the police.

The author highlights a critical failure in the police investigation: a case worker reportedly released the missing person status without direct contact, based on an internal system that allowed for such an action without senior approval. This system is now slated for changes, but the incident has raised serious concerns about how missing persons cases are handled.

Is it impossible to investigate if the last movements and times of the missing person are shared with the family?

— Author (Kim Hye-jeong)Questioning the police's refusal to share location data with the victim's family.

Further compounding the distress, Jang's family revealed their struggle to obtain information from the police. They reported being told that details like cell tower location data were confidential, even from the family, while journalists seemed to receive information. This lack of transparency, especially for a grieving family, is questioned by the author, who argues that such information should be shared, with appropriate caveats if necessary.

Investigative secrecy.

— PoliceThe common response given by police when asked for information in sensitive cases.

The article criticizes the police's long-standing reliance on "investigative secrecy" as a barrier to transparency, particularly in cases involving violence or death. The author argues that victims and their families have a right to know the facts of what happened to them, especially when the police have secured evidence like DNA or CCTV footage. While a new law will allow victims to access investigative records for appeals, the author urges for more proactive disclosure of factual information to victims for their own understanding and healing.

It is very unfair not to disclose the factual information secured by the police to the victim, who does not know the facts of the crime they directly experienced, under the pretext of 'investigative secrecy'.

— Author (Kim Hye-jeong)Critiquing the police's withholding of information from victims.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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