Jeju police chief apologizes for mishandling of missing person cases

Jaeju, South Korea, on August 27 (Yonhap) -- In a public apology, the head of the Jaeju Provincial Police Agency, Ko Pyeong-ki, acknowledged the police's mishandling of missing person cases that recently came to light due to the deaths of two individuals on the southern island resort. During a command meeting at the agency, Ko expressed his deepest regret to the two individuals who could not be reunited with their families and their grieving families.

He emphasized his profound sense of responsibility as the police chief responsible for public safety on Jaeju. The apology came after the arrest of a police officer 13 days ago, suspected of prematurely closing the case of 37-year-old Jang Mi-ran, whose body was discovered on Monday, nearly three months after she was first reported missing.

The officer is also alleged to have mishandled the case of a man in his sixties, whose body was found on Saturday. At the meeting, Ko pledged to conduct a thorough investigation of the cases to ensure no suspicions remain unresolved and to fully disclose the findings. He also committed to a comprehensive re-investigation of all missing person cases on Jaeju and the implementation of multi-layered safeguards to prevent similar lapses in the future.