Police Misconduct and Doubts Surround Death of Missing Woman in Jeju

A 37 year old woman named Jang Mi ran was found dead at a palm tree farm on Jeju Island, 104 days after she went missing on May 12. The discovery has sparked widespread outrage after it was revealed that a senior police officer, identified by the surname Bu, falsely closed the missing person case. Officer Bu had told the woman's boyfriend that he had spoken with Jang and that she requested her location remain undisclosed. Police later confirmed that no such communication took place. Officer Bu has been arrested and is under investigation for charges including dereliction of duty.

The delay in the investigation resulted in the loss of critical evidence, as surveillance camera footage in the area was overwritten roughly every month. While the Jeju Provincial Police Agency suggests the death was a suicide by hanging, citing a fracture of the hyoid bone and a cord found at the scene, the family and friends of the deceased remain unconvinced. Critics and a criminologist, Pyo Chang Won, argue that the severe decay of the body makes it forensically impossible to prove the death was self inflicted, noting that hyoid bone fractures also occur in cases of strangulation. Additionally, some residents have questioned whether a woman of Jang's stature could have climbed the specific type of palm tree to hang herself, although police claim tests showed the branch could support an adult's weight.

President Lee Jae Myung has directed the prime minister to develop police reform measures following this incident and a separate murder case in Gwangju. These events occur as an amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act is set to grant police greater authority over criminal investigations while reducing the supervisory powers of prosecutors.