What did Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung say about the Jeju missing person case?

Yun Ho-jung apologized to the public with the police leadership and said the truth behind the Jeju case must be thoroughly uncovered. He also ordered police to examine whether the case could be linked to more serious misconduct.

What wider action did Yun Ho-jung order after the Jeju case?

He told police officials to inspect other missing person cases across the country for possible wrongdoing. He also called for a broader review of the current system to fix what he described as a structural flaw.

Interior minister apologizes over police mishandling of missing person case in Jeju

Q: Why has the Jeju missing person case drawn national attention?

Police closed the case in May without confirming the missing woman’s safety, and her body was found Monday after an intensive search last week. The sequence raised questions about how the case was handled.

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Summary

Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung apologized Wednesday over alleged police mishandling of a missing person case on Jeju, vowing a thorough investigation. The case drew nationwide attention after police closed it in May without confirming the missing woman’s safety, and her body was found Monday after an intensive search. Yun said the case exposed a structural flaw in how police handle missing person cases and ordered a broader inspection of the system.

Key Facts

The police officer in charge of the case closed it hours after the woman’s boyfriend reported her missing on May 15.
The officer allegedly told the boyfriend that he had spoken with her but had been told not to share her location.
A local court issued a warrant Tuesday for the officer’s arrest.

By Yonhap

Published Aug 26, 2026 5:44 pm KST

Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung, right, Acting National Police Agency Commissioner Yoo Jae-seong, third from left, and Head of the National Office of Investigation under the Korean National Police Agency Hong Seok-ki, second from left, bow in apology over alleged police mishandling of a missing person case on Jeju Island at the Government Complex Seoul, Wednesday. Joint Press Corps

Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung apologized Wednesday over the alleged police mishandling of a missing person case on the southern resort island of Jeju, vowing a thorough investigation into the allegations.

The incident has drawn nationwide attention after a police officer was found to have closed the case in May, without confirming the missing woman's safety. Her body was found Monday after police launched an intensive search for her last week.

"Along with the police leadership, (I) sincerely apologize to the public," Yun said in a meeting with senior police officials. "The truth behind the Jeju case must be thoroughly uncovered."

Yun ordered police officials to check whether the case could possibly be connected to even more serious misconduct, and inspect other missing person cases across the country for possible wrongdoings.

He also said the case exposed a structural flaw in how police handle missing person cases, and called for a broader inspection of the current system for improvements.

The police officer in charge of the case was found to have closed it hours after her boyfriend reported her missing May 15. The officer allegedly lied to the boyfriend that he had spoken with her but had been told not to share her location.

A local court issued a warrant Tuesday for the officer's arrest.

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