Key facts
- A Jeju police officer has been arrested for wrongfully closing a missing person case.
- The officer cited avoiding an increased workload as his reason for closing the case.
- He faces charges of dereliction of duty and forgery.
- The missing woman's body was discovered after her case was prematurely closed.
- The officer had also closed another missing person case prematurely, and that individual's body was subsequently found.
A police officer in Jeju, South Korea, has been arrested and is facing charges of dereliction of duty and forgery for allegedly closing a missing person case prematurely. The officer, identified only by his rank of corporal, claimed he closed the case of a missing woman, identified by her surname Jang, in May to avoid the burden of additional workload. Jang's body was found on the island on August 24. The Jeju Provincial Police Agency stated that the officer admitted to lying about contacting the missing persons when the investigation began. This was not the only instance; the officer was also found to have prematurely closed another missing person case in July, and that individual, a man in his 60s, was found dead on August 22. The agency made the announcement at a media briefing before referring the officer to prosecutors.