Home · World · Sep 1 archive
South Korean police officer admits to closing missing person cases to avoid work
Confirmed
The police officer, known by his surname Bu, was arrested earlier this month A South Korean police officer has admitted to closing missing persons cases without investigating them in order to avoid additional work, according to authorities.
A South Korean police officer has admitted to prematurely closing multiple missing persons cases without investigations to avoid the extra workload, the Jeju provincial police said on Tuesday. Police officials discovered four bodies in recent weeks in their belated searches amid rising public criticism, which led them to uncover the mishandling of the cases – including two high-profile ones – by their officer Bu, they said.
Police also said that they believe Bu could have prematurely closed another 25 missing persons cases, though in some of those cases the people were eventually confirmed to be alive and safe. A police statement said that during their investigations into Bu, he had "stated to the effect that 'the missing person was a typical adult so I thought about it carelessly.
Bodies found on S Korean holiday island as missing persons scandal deepens Violent crime is rare in South Korea, where suicide rates are among the highest in the world. On Tuesday, the Jeju Provincial Police said Bu had falsely closed at least two high-profile cases and had been charged with forgery of public electronic records, obstruction of official duties and dereliction of duty.
Amid mounting public criticism, police embarked on belated searches for several missing persons on the island, and have since discovered four bodies in recent weeks. One of the cases involved a 37-year-old woman named Jang Mi-ran who went missing in May and was reported missing by her boyfriend.
Police officials have also removed all four officers in the chain of command at the Jeju Seobu police station and launched an investigation into the handling of the cases. While more than 70,000 adults are reported missing in South Korea each year, 99% of them are marked as resolved within a month.
In another case where a man in his 60s was reported missing in July, Bu similarly falsely claimed that he had spoken to the man and that the man did not want to be contacted. Bu had entered this false information into the system, and also logged that Jang had died in a traffic accident, before closing the case, according to authorities.
Bu added this information in the police records and also included that the woman died in a traffic accident and closed the case, officials said. On Tuesday President Lee said that it was "regrettable" that because of a few "loach-like figures who muddy the well water", "the honour and pride of the majority of diligent police officers are being damaged".
What's confirmed
- The police officer, known by his surname Bu, was arrested earlier this month A South Korean police officer has admitted to closing missing persons cases without investigating them in order to avoid additional work,…
- Amid mounting public criticism, police embarked on belated searches for several missing persons on the island, and have since discovered four bodies in recent weeks.
- On Tuesday, the Jeju Provincial Police said Bu had falsely closed at least two high-profile cases and had been charged with forgery of public electronic records, obstruction of official duties and dereliction of duty.
- One of the cases involved a 37-year-old woman named Jang Mi-ran who went missing in May and was reported missing by her boyfriend.
- Bu had entered this false information into the system, and also logged that Jang had died in a traffic accident, before closing the case, according to authorities.
- In another case where a man in his 60s was reported missing in July, Bu similarly falsely claimed that he had spoken to the man and that the man did not want to be contacted.
- A South Korean police officer has admitted to prematurely closing multiple missing persons cases without investigations to avoid the extra workload, the Jeju provincial police said on Tuesday.
- Police officials discovered four bodies in recent weeks in their belated searches amid rising public criticism, which led them to uncover the mishandling of the cases – including two high-profile ones – by their…
What's still developing
- A police statement said that during their investigations into Bu, he had "stated to the effect that 'the missing person was a typical adult so I thought about it carelessly.
- Police also said that they believe Bu could have prematurely closed another 25 missing persons cases, though in some of those cases the people were eventually confirmed to be alive and safe.
- Bodies found on S Korean holiday island as missing persons scandal deepens Violent crime is rare in South Korea, where suicide rates are among the highest in the world.
- While more than 70,000 adults are reported missing in South Korea each year, 99% of them are marked as resolved within a month.
- The government had recently passed laws to transfer full investigative power from the prosecutors to the police, a move they said was intended to curtail the prosecutors' influence in politics.
- On Tuesday President Lee said that it was "regrettable" that because of a few "loach-like figures who muddy the well water", "the honour and pride of the majority of diligent police officers are being damaged".
- Police officials have also removed all four officers in the chain of command at the Jeju Seobu police station and launched an investigation into the handling of the cases.