(2nd LD) PM vows zero tolerance for mishandling of missing person cases

Seoul, Aug. 24 (Yonhap) -- Prime Minister Han Seong-sook vowed on Monday to enforce zero tolerance towards mishandling missing person cases, following reports that a police officer prematurely closed cases without verifying the safety of those missing. In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Han emphasized that nothing is more crucial than the lives and well-being of people, promising to overhaul the missing person investigation system and eliminate any loopholes to ensure fair investigations.

The government pledged to invest every possible effort to guarantee that missing person investigations are conducted strictly and fairly. Earlier, Han instructed the National Police Agency to conduct a thorough examination of all missing person cases throughout the nation and promised to revise the manner in which police handle such cases, including separating the authority to investigate from the authority to close cases.

A police officer on the southern island of Jeju was arrested for closing a missing person case without ensuring the woman's safety; the body of Jang Mi-ran, a 37-year-old woman, was discovered more than three months after she was initially reported missing by her family. The officer was also found guilty of closing another missing person case prematurely, and the man's body has been located.

Han expressed her indefinite responsibility for the case, stating, "I pray from the bottom of my heart for the soul of the late Jang Mi-ran." President Lee Jae Myung called for scrutiny of the police investigation system, voicing sorrow over the case, according to a presidential spokesperson. The president instructed officials to investigate the reasons behind the premature closure of the missing person case and the police command system involved, while ordering the police to develop internal reform measures.