South Korean cop closed missing persons cases to avoid work

In a scandal that has shaken South Korea, a police officer named Bu fabricated evidence to close over two dozen missing persons cases. The officer, who was arrested recently, admitted that the primary motivation for his actions was work-related negligence stemming from an overwhelming workload and fatigue due to excessive responsibilities. His evasive and irresponsible behavior is believed to have played a significant role in the offense.

Two of the missing individuals in question were found dead among four bodies discovered over several days in August on Jeju Island, a popular resort destination. The scandal escalated when the bodies of two missing persons, including a 37-year-old woman named Jang Mi-ran, were discovered, months after her boyfriend reported her missing. President Lee Jae Myung subsequently ordered an investigation into the handling of Jang's case and called for necessary reforms within the police force.

In one case, the officer falsely recorded Jang's death as a traffic accident, while lying to her family and pretending that she did not wish to be found. Another case involved a man in his 60s who had also been reported missing. The officer falsely concluded that the man's death was due to traffic accident, despite the lack of evidence to support this claim.

Bu was arrested last week and accused of closing these cases due to his negligence and fatigue. According to Jeju Police Agency detective Jung Tae-woon, the suspect's actions were driven by his evasive and irresponsible attitude. Police officials stated that they could not determine the cause of Jang's death due to the advanced decomposition of her body, which contradicted their initial assessment that there were no signs of foul play.

In response to the scandal, police conducted a thorough review of around 300 missing persons cases handled by the officer over a period of about 16 months. They discovered that Bu had falsely closed an additional 25 cases without verifying the whereabouts of the missing individuals or by deleting records after declaring them dead. All 25 individuals involved in those cases were eventually found safe, authorities confirmed.