Supervisor's approval to be required for police officer to close missing person case

SEOUL, Aug. 21 (Yonhap) -- The National Police Agency (NPA) has initiated system upgrades to mandate supervisor approval for the closure of missing person cases, officials announced on Friday, in response to allegations of mishandling such a case on Jeju Island. Prior to these proposed reforms, police officers had the autonomy to independently finalize missing person cases.

To mitigate potential misuse or unjustified closures, the NPA is implementing changes to the electronic system. When an officer seeks to close a missing person case, a supervisor will now be required to verify the justification and entered information before granting approval. This reform follows a reported incident where a police officer allegedly did not sufficiently verify the safety of a missing person on Jeju before closing the case.

The missing woman, 37-year-old Jang Mi-ran, has been missing since May. The necessity for this improvement has been further emphasized by this recent case on Jeju, prompting the police to expedite the overhaul, according to a police official. The police aim to complete the system overhaul within a month.