Four bodies in 3 days: How a missing persons case in Jeju Island sparked demand for police reform in South Korea

Four bodies of missing individuals were discovered within a span of three days on Jeju Island, South Korea, prompting widespread outrage and calls for police reform. A Jeju police officer, Bu, was accused of improperly closing a missing persons case involving 37-year-old Jang Mi-ran, which may have led to her death. An arrest warrant was issued against him for dereliction of duty, forgery, falsifying public electronic records, and obstructing official duties through deception.

Jang had been reported missing by her partner on May 15, but the officer claimed she was safe and had contacted him, providing no evidence to support this claim. Two weeks later, another missing persons report for Jang was filed, leading to a search that eventually found her body 98 days after she was reported missing. The officer involved in the Jang Mi-ran case, Bu, was also under investigation for closing a second missing persons case without proper investigation, in which a 60-year-old man was found dead after being reported missing on July 2.

The same officer has been accused of closing over 200 missing person cases independently. The missing persons case on Jeju Island has sparked a demand for immediate reforms in the police system in South Korea. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency has agreed to review some 92,800 missing-person reports filed and closed in the capital between January 2024 and August 2026.

President Lee Jae-myung has ordered a thorough investigation into police handling of the cases and a broader review of how missing-person cases are closed and officer supervision. Prime Minister Han Seong-sook has vowed stern punishment for mishandling of missing person cases, emphasizing zero tolerance for unfair and unlawful acts by investigative agencies.