PM orders police to look into handling of all missing person cases

Prime Minister Han Seong-sook has instructed the National Police Agency to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the handling of all missing person cases, with stern measures to be taken if any mishandling is confirmed. This directive follows revelations that a police officer on the southern island of Jeju prematurely closed a missing person case without confirming the safety of the individual involved.

Additionally, the body of Jang Mi-ran, a 37-year-old woman, was discovered earlier on Monday, three months after she was first reported missing by her family. The arrested officer has also been found to have closed another missing person case prematurely, and the man whose body has been found was the subject of such a case. In response to these incidents, the prime minister has directed the police agency to identify any loopholes in the current procedures and overhaul the way police handle missing person cases.

Specifically, she wants to separate the right to investigate cases from the right to close them in order to ensure the fairness of investigations and regain public trust.