제주 경찰, ‘허위 종결’ 25건 더 있었다…이유 묻자 “할 일 많아질까 봐”

A police officer in Jeju was found to have falsified records for 25 more incidents involving a 30-year-old woman and a 60-year-old man who went missing. The police determined these actions were likely due to routine job pressures and work procrastination. Jeju Police Headquarters discovered 10 more cases where the officer used false reasons like "the missing person has been contacted" to close cases through the 112 system and 'missing person profiling system'.

Additionally, they uncovered 15 instances where the officer entered 'traffic accident death' or 'abduction' as reasons and then deleted the records. Of these 15, some were estimated to be cases where the victim's whereabouts were unknown. The police conducted a preliminary investigation of 298 cases closed by the officer after March of last year (157 adults, 141 children) and found that all victims were safe.

However, the officer stated that they did not end the "discovery" notification for the case involving the 60-year-old man and did not change the case to 'death' in the missing person system. The police stated that this behavior was not identified until the officer had been handling cases alone during night shifts, and their reluctance and avoidance behavior contributed to the falsification.

The police concluded that the officer's actions were deliberate and carefully planned. The officer was arrested on charges of tampering with evidence, false reporting, and obstructing superior orders. The officer refused to answer any questions from journalists after being released from police custody. The investigating team plans to compensate for the officer's absence.

President Yoon stated that he is concerned about the public's worries regarding the Jeju missing person cases and emphasized the need to clarify ultimate responsibility. He ordered a review of the police system to improve it.