{
  "id": 3539274,
  "title": "Bodies found on S Korean holiday island as missing persons scandal deepens",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/bodies-found-on-s-korean-holiday-island-as-missing-persons-scandal-3539274",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-26T15:38:36.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "KahawaTungu",
    "slug": "kahawatungu",
    "url": "https://kahawatungu.com/bodies-found-on-s-korean-holiday-island-as-missing-persons-scandal-deepens/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Four missing individuals have been discovered deceased on South Korea's holiday island of Jeju, with local law enforcement under increasing public scrutiny for allegedly mishandling missing person cases. Earlier this week, authorities began a belated search for a woman who had been missing for months, prompting criticism of the police for their delayed response. The scandal worsened with the arrest of a police sergeant, whose surname is Bu, for allegedly deceiving victims' families and prematurely closing missing persons cases. Four officers under Bu's supervision have been placed on administrative leave, and President Lee Jae Myung has ordered a comprehensive police force reform. Since Saturday, the police have found four bodies on the island, including that of 37-year-old Jang Mi-ran, who had gone missing in May and was believed to have committed suicide. Bu is suspected of prematurely closing Jang's case without verifying her whereabouts. Additionally, the body of a 60-year-old man from Jeju City was found on Saturday. The man had gone missing on June 28, and Bu had closed his case, telling his family that he was found \"safe\" but would not disclose his location. It remains unclear if Bu was involved in two other missing persons cases. Police are currently reviewing all missing persons reports handled by Bu, which total nearly 300. Jeju is a popular tourist destination in South Korea, attracting over 13 million visitors last year. While violent crime is uncommon in South Korea, suicide rates are among the highest globally, leading some experts to suggest that the low crime rate contributes to a lack of seriousness in handling missing persons cases. President Lee acknowledged on Tuesday that \"the recent breakdown in police discipline and irresponsibility in public safety matters have become serious problems,\" expressing concern that the police may have earned excessive power from the public. South Korea's national police chief faced questioning by lawmakers at an emergency National Assembly hearing on Monday, admitting there were faults in the system. This scandal occurs at a politically sensitive moment for South Korea's police, as the government recently passed reforms transferring investigative power from prosecutors to the police, a move that has been unpopular among the public who have long accused the police of corruption and incompetence.",
  "summary": "Four missing people have been found dead on South Korean holiday island Jeju, as local police face mounting public criticism for allegedly mishandling missing persons cases. Reports emerged last week that authorities were launching a belated search for a woman reported missing months ago. This sparked criticism of the police for failing to search for [...] The post Bodies found on S Korean…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}