Jeju police officer who mishandled missing person cases, faced sexual misconduct probe

A police officer on Jeju Island faces dismissal after investigators discovered he fabricated records to prematurely close missing persons cases, a dereliction of duty that preceded the discovery of two dead victims.

The Jeju Seobu Police Station disciplinary committee voted to dismiss the officer, a man in his 30s surnamed Bu, marking the most severe penalty available within the South Korean police force. Authorities indicted him in September on charges of falsifying public electronic records, drafting false official documents and dereliction of duty.

The scandal emerged after the family of 37-year-old Jang Mi-ran protested police inaction. Bu claimed he had spoken directly with Jang, but her body was later discovered in a Hallim-eup palm tree farm after she had been missing for 104 days.

A second victim, surnamed Park, was found dead 52 days after his disappearance was reported to the station.

Baffled colleagues

Following the initial allegations, the Jeju Provincial Police Agency reviewed all 298 cases Bu handled on the missing persons team between March 2025 and July 2026. Investigators uncovered 25 instances of improper handling and false closures.

To close the investigations, Bu logged fabricated information into the national reporting and missing child profiling systems. He submitted false internal reports claiming he had contacted the missing individuals when no communication had occurred.

Investigators determined he committed the offences simply to avoid the administrative burden of briefing superiors and handing cases over to colleagues during night duty shifts. He allegedly assumed adult missing persons were likely alive and unilaterally closed their files.

Prior to his arrest, Bu faced an internal investigation for alleged sexual misconduct and was relieved of his duties in August. He also received an internal warning in 2023 following a domestic violence report.