A South Korean police officer has admitted to prematurely closing multiple missing persons cases without investigations to avoid the extra workload, the Jeju provincial police said on Tuesday.
The authorities arrested the officer surnamed Bu earlier this month after he was charged with closing cases prematurely on the popular South Korean holiday island and lying to the families of the missing persons.
Police officials discovered four bodies in recent weeks in their belated searches amid rising public criticism, which led them to uncover the mishandling of the cases – including two high-profile ones – by their officer Bu, they said.
He falsely closed at least two high-profile cases, the Jeju provincial police said, adding that he has been charged with forgery of public electronic records, obstruction of official duties and dereliction of duty.
Bu’s actions came to light when the officer closed the missing person case of Jang Mi-ran, a 37-year-old woman, without confirming her whereabouts despite the family waiting for months on the case.
Jang went missing in May this year and was reported missing by her boyfriend.
The officer falsely informed her boyfriend that he had spoken to the missing woman and she did not want to be contacted by her boyfriend or meet the police. Bu added this information in the police records and also included that the woman died in a traffic accident and closed the case, officials said.
Police later confirmed that this was a complete fabrication done by their officer Bu. The case emerged last week when Jang’s body was found near a palm tree on Jeju.
In another case of a man reported missing in July, the now-dismissed officer falsely claimed that he had spoken to the man and that he did not wish to be contacted. The elderly man was also found dead earlier this month.
Bu admitted to “carelessly” shutting the cases to handle the pressure he could have faced.
Bu stated that the “missing person was a typical adult so I thought about it carelessly. If the case was not closed, there would have been a lot to take care of, and out of a sense of pressure over the case handover, I falsely closed it,” according to a police statement quoted by the BBC after an investigation.
“We feel deeply sorry for causing concerns to the public over the handling of missing person cases in Jeju. We will examine our system as a whole and make institutional improvements to prevent similar incidents from happening again,” acting National Police Agency commissioner Yoo Jae-seong told a parliamentary committee meeting last week.
Police officials have also removed all four officers in the chain of command at the Jeju Seobu police station and launched an investigation into the handling of the cases.
Responding to public concerns, president Lee Jae Myung instructed his prime minister at a cabinet meeting last week to explore ways to reform the police.
On Thursday, Jeju’s governor, Wi Seong-gon, announced steps to make the island safer. Officials are working out an integrated response manual, installing more security cameras and strengthening joint patrols by police and civilian volunteers.
“We will concentrate all our efforts on protecting the everyday lives of Jeju residents and visitors and upholding public confidence in Jeju as a safe destination,” Mr Wi told a news conference.
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