Body believed to be missing Jeju woman shows no signs of foul play, police say
Summary
Police said Monday that a body believed to be missing Jeju woman Jang Mi-ran showed no signs of foul play so far. The body was found on Jeju Island more than three months after she disappeared, and police said the presumed cause of death was hanging. The discovery has intensified scrutiny over police handling of her missing-person report, and the acting National Police Agency chief apologized for serious flaws in the response.
Key Facts
- Police found the body at around 10:46 a.m. Monday in a palm tree grove in Hallim-eup of Jeju City, 101 days after the first missing-person report was filed on May 15.
- Yoo Jae-sung said he had received a report from the Jeju Provincial Police Agency that the presumed cause of death was hanging.
- Police said clothing, slippers and a mobile phone found with the body matched Jang Mi-ran’s belongings, and identity will be confirmed through the National Forensic Service.
- The officer who first handled Jang’s missing-person report allegedly closed the case without confirming her whereabouts, and Yoo said the police will investigate the officer and hold those involved accountable.
Police conduct a forensic examination Monday at a cycad grove in Jeju City, where a body believed to be that of Jang Mi-ran, who went missing in May, was found. Yonhap
Police said Monday that a body believed to be that of missing woman Jang Mi-ran, 37, with no signs of foul play found so far.
The body was discovered on Jeju Island more than three months after Jang disappeared, amid growing controversy over police handling of her missing-person report.
Yoo Jae-sung, acting commissioner general of the National Police Agency, said during a plenary meeting of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee on Monday that he had received a report from the chief of the Jeju Provincial Police Agency indicating that the presumed cause of death was hanging.
Asked by Rep. Chai Hyun-il of the Democratic Party of Korea whether there were any signs suggesting foul play, Yoo said, "Not so far," indicating that police currently consider the possibility of homicide to be low.
An autopsy has not yet been conducted, but clothing, slippers and a mobile phone found with the body have been confirmed to match Jang's belongings.
Police plan to confirm the identity as quickly as possible through an examination by the National Forensic Service.
Police found the body at around 10:46 a.m. Monday in a palm tree grove in Hallim-eup of Jeju City, 101 days after the first missing-person report was filed May 15.
A police officer, identified only as A, leaves a detention facility at Jeju Dongbu Police Station, Monday, to attend an arrest review hearing at the Jeju District Court. The officer faces charges including dereliction of duty for allegedly falsely closing missing person cases, including that of Jang Mi-ran. Newsis
The discovery has intensified scrutiny of the police response after it emerged that the officer who initially handled Jang's missing-person report closed the case without confirming her whereabouts.
A man in his 60s who went missing last month was also found dead Saturday, more than 50 days after his case was allegedly closed in a similar manner.
Yoo apologized for the handling of Jang's case, including the false closure of the initial missing-person report and delays in the police response even after her family filed another report.
"I am deeply sorry for causing concern to the public," Yoo said.
"The response after the second report was seriously flawed," he said. "We will thoroughly investigate the officer responsible, hold those involved accountable and improve the overall system."
Police search along a breakwater near Hallim Port in Jeju City, Sunday, for Jang Mi-ran, 37, who was reported missing in May. Newsis
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.
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