Jeju police revealed that the officer arrested for improperly closing missing persons cases claimed the motive was to reduce workload, since open cases would require additional responsibilities, while two missing persons were found deceased.
On 1 Sep 2026 GMT+7, Jeju police of South Korea disclosed that a sergeant arrested for improperly closing missing persons cases admitted that part of the reason for prematurely closing the cases was to avoid increased workload. The officer decided to close cases improperly to avoid having to handle the extensive procedures and tasks required if the cases remained open.
Jeju provincial police stated that the officer explained the action was due to negligence, viewing the missing persons as ordinary adults. Meanwhile, the police prepared to prosecute the officer on charges of dereliction of duty and document falsification.
Reports indicate the officer was accused of closing the missing woman’s case in May without confirming her safety, and deleting her information from the police missing persons database, before her body was found on Jeju Island on 24 Aug 2026 GMT+7. Additionally, the same officer was found to have prematurely closed another missing person’s case in July involving a 60-year-old man, whose body was discovered on 22 Aug 2026 GMT+7.
Initially, the officer told police they had contacted the missing persons, but later admitted to lying after an investigation into the case closures. This case led to a review of South Korea’s police missing persons tracking system amid concerns that improperly closing cases without verifying individuals’ safety could delay searches and have serious consequences for missing persons.
Source: Yonhap