Jeju police’s premature case closures spark scandal in South Korea

South Korean police are facing growing criticism from the public and lawmakers over how they handled missing-persons cases on the island of Jeju, also known as the «Hawaii of Korea,» the BBC reported.

Recently, Jeju authorities recovered the bodies of four people who had gone missing earlier this year. The incidents alone were particularly disturbing for islanders, as South Korea is well known for its relatively low crime rate. However, it was the way local police handled the cases that troubled South Korean society the most.

The controversy led to the detention of a police officer surnamed Bu, who is accused of prematurely closing missing-persons cases and providing relatives with false information. Four senior officers at his station, including the current and former chiefs of Jeju Seobu Police Station, the head of the detective division and the leader of the missing-persons team, have since been suspended from duty.

Among the bodies recovered last week and this week was that of 37-year-old Jang Mi-ran, who had been missing since mid-May, when she was reported missing by her boyfriend. Her case was closed by Bu without her whereabouts ever being confirmed. He reportedly told her boyfriend that he had spoken to her by phone and that she wanted to remain hidden. Jang’s body was discovered three and a half months after she was reported missing not far away from where she had been staying.

In a similar case, police had reportedly told relatives of a man in his 60s who went missing in June that he was safe but did not want to disclose his location. His body was found last week. Two more bodies were discovered in coastal areas of the island over the same period.

Investigators say Bu handled roughly 300 missing persons cases, many during unsupervised night shifts, and authorities are now reviewing all of them. Investigators have said there is no evidence linking the deaths to a serial killer or organized crime. However, the case has raised broader questions about how missing persons reports are handled nationwide. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency alone is now reviewing tens of thousands of closed cases.

The scandal has prompted criticism of broader police procedures. President Lee Jae Myung has called for reforms, while the national police chief acknowledged problems with the existing system during a parliamentary hearing.