Jeju Police Commissioner Ko Pyeong-gi issued a public apology after two people whose missing person cases were closed by a police officer on false grounds were later found dead.
“I bow my head in apology to the two deceased people who never made it back to their families, and to the bereaved families suffering grief beyond description,” Ko said yesterday at the Jeju Provincial Police Agency.
A Jeju police officer surnamed Bu is accused of closing the case of Jang Mi-ran, a 37-year-old woman who disappeared in May and was found dead on Aug 24, by falsely claiming that he had spoken to her.
Bu is accused of using the same method to close another case involving a man in his 60s, whose body was found on Aug 22.
“A police officer has a responsibility to protect the safety and lives of the people, yet he disregarded that duty and lied, leaving permanent scars on the families,” Ko said.
The case has escalated into a broader examination of South Korea’s missing-person system, raising questions over how a lower-ranking officer could close cases without properly verifying people’s safety and whether supervisors failed to catch repeated problems. — The Korea Herald/ANN
