A South Korean police officer has admitted to prematurely closing missing persons cases without carrying out proper investigations, allegedly to avoid additional work, as a scandal on the holiday island of Jeju deepens.
The officer, identified by his surname Bu, was arrested earlier this month after allegedly closing cases prematurely and giving false information to the families of missing people.
The revelations have triggered public anger and prompted police to launch belated searches for several missing people on Jeju. Four bodies have since been discovered in recent weeks.
Jeju Provincial Police said on Tuesday that Bu had falsely closed at least two high-profile missing persons cases. He has been charged with forgery of public electronic records, obstruction of official duties and dereliction of duty.
In both cases, authorities said Bu falsely recorded that he had contacted the missing individuals and that they did not wish to be contacted, before closing the investigations without confirming their whereabouts or safety.
Police said Bu admitted that he had treated one case carelessly because the missing person was a typical adult, while also saying he wanted to avoid the additional workload and pressure associated with handing over the case.
One of the cases involved 37-year-old Jang Mi-ran, who disappeared in May and was reported missing by her boyfriend.
Bu allegedly told Jang’s boyfriend that he had spoken to her and that she did not want to meet police or have contact with her boyfriend. Authorities later determined that the conversation had never taken place.
Bu also allegedly entered false information into the police system stating that Jang had died in a traffic accident before closing the case. Her body was found near a palm tree plantation on Jeju last week.
In a separate case, a man in his 60s was reported missing in July. Police said Bu similarly claimed he had spoken to the man and that he did not want to be contacted. The man was eventually found dead earlier this month.
Investigators believe Bu may have prematurely closed as many as 25 other missing persons cases, although police said some of those individuals were later confirmed to be alive and safe.
The scandal has added pressure on President Lee Jae Myung, who has pledged to reform the country’s police force as the government prepares to give police greater investigative powers.
Lee said on Tuesday that it was “regrettable” that the actions of a few “loach-like figures who muddy the well water” had damaged the honour and pride of the majority of hardworking police officers.
South Korea records more than 70,000 missing adult cases each year, with around 99% reportedly marked as resolved within a month. The latest scandal has nevertheless raised fresh questions over police accountability and competence.
The controversy comes after laws were passed to transfer full investigative authority from prosecutors to the police, a move the government said was aimed at reducing prosecutors’ influence over politics. The change has faced public opposition amid longstanding accusations of corruption and incompetence within the police force.
