Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
Missing mother found dead: Jeju police
Police recover the body of the missing woman on northern Jeju Island, Wednesday. Yonhap
By Jung Min-ho
By Jung Min-ho
The mother of
who was found dead on Jeju Island on Nov. 4 has also been found dead, police said Thursday.
The Jeju Provincial Police Agency said the mother, 33, a Paju resident whose surname was Jang, was found on the island's northern side about 6:40 p.m. Wednesday.
Previously, investigators confirmed the two took a taxi to an area near a beach on northern Jeju around 2:30 a.m. on Nov. 2. Two days later, the girl's body was found and police began searching for her mother.
An autopsy shows that the girl suffered no external injuries and the most likely cause of death was drowning. It is still unclear whether she inhaled toxic gases, which the National Forensic Service (NFS) will find out later through a second, more through, autopsy.
The NFS's findings are expected to be crucial for police to discover the truth behind their deaths. Investigators said Jang bought charcoal, bottled butane and a lighter on Nov. 1, the day after she and her daughter arrived on Jeju.
Given that there were burn marks on their motel room's bathroom floor, police believe the mother might have attempted to kill herself and her daughter there and made another attempt the next day.
Police also found that the two bought a one-way airplane ticket to the island.
Police carried out an autopsy on the mother's body Thursday and the result is expected in the next few days.