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BREAKING Jeju officer admits closing missing person cases to avoid workload
Police conduct a forensic examination after finding the body of Jang Mi-ran, who had been missing for several months, at a palm farm on Jeju Island, Aug. 24. Yonhap
By Park Ung
The Jeju Provincial Police said Tuesday that an officer who prematurely closed multiple missing person cases on the island admitted to closing them to avoid the extra workload of keeping cases open.
The controversy erupted after it emerged that the officer had closed the missing person case of Jang Mi-ran, a 37-year-old woman missing for months, without confirming her whereabouts. Last week, police said they had removed all four officers in the chain of command at Jeju Seobu Police Station from their duties, pending an investigation.
The Jeju Provincial Police said last week an autopsy on the body found at a palm farm on Jeju Island confirmed it was Jang. They said the position of the body when first discovered suggested she died by hanging, but they later said the cause of death could not be determined because of the body's decomposition.
Doubts about the fairness of police investigations deepened after the officer who handled the Jang Mi-ran case was accused of closing another missing person case in a similar manner in July. The man in his 60s was found dead last month, 51 days after he was reported missing.