Jeju Police Officer Referred to Prosecutors for Falsely Closing Missing Person Cases

A police officer on Jeju Island has been referred to prosecutors on charges including dereliction of duty and forgery after falsely closing multiple missing person cases. The officer, identified by the surname Bu, is accused of fabricating contact with missing individuals to close their files. In two specific instances, the missing persons were later found dead in August. One case involved a 37 year old woman whose case was closed in May; she was found dead on August 24. The second involved a man in his 60s reported missing in July; he was found dead on August 22.

An investigation into 298 cases handled by the officer between March 2025 and July 2025 revealed 25 additional suspected false closures. In 10 of these cases, the officer allegedly closed the files without verifying the safety of the individuals, though all were later confirmed safe. In another 15 cases, the officer allegedly entered false reasons for closure, such as traffic accidents or unnatural deaths, despite the individuals being safe. The officer told investigators he acted out of complacency and a desire to avoid the increased workload associated with keeping cases open.

President Lee Jae Myung responded to the controversy during a Cabinet meeting, instructing Prime Minister Han Seong Seong ook to overhaul the system for handling missing person cases. President Lee emphasized the need for a clear chain of responsibility and requested that missing person cases be included in a government initiative to prevent avoidable deaths. Interior and Safety Minister Yun Ho jung stated that the police profiling system has been revised to prevent individual officers from unilaterally closing cases. Minister Yun also noted that privacy laws currently limit the ability of police to track missing adults, though legislation is pending to allow limited tracking for those at high risk.

Reporting on the event varied by political lean. Center leaning coverage focused primarily on the criminal allegations and the specific number of compromised cases. Center right leaning coverage provided more extensive detail on the government's systemic response and the President's directives for police reform.