Seoul police launch review of 92,800 closed missing-person reports Police officer Bu is escorted with his hands bound at Jeju Dongbu Police Station on Sunday after being arrested on suspicion of falsely closing two missing-person cases. (Yonhap) A body believed to be that of 37-year-old Jang Mi-ran, who had been missing for more than three months, was found on Jeju Island on Monday.The discovery has raised further questions about the police officer accused of falsely claiming he had contacted her before closing her missing-person case.The body was found at a palm farm in Hallim-eup, according to the Jeju Provincial Police Agency. Authorities are working to confirm the identity and determine the cause of death.Jang was reported missing on May 15.The officer handling her case, a man in his 30s surnamed Bu, allegedly told Jang’s family that he had contacted her and that she did not wish to remain in touch with them. He then allegedly removed her case from the police missing-person profiling system.Investigators later found no evidence that such contact had taken place after reviewing communication records, police said.Bu is also under investigation over a second missing-person case involving a man in his 60s who was reported missing on July 2. Bu allegedly gave the man’s family a similar account, saying he had reached the missing man and that he did not want contact with his relatives. The case was subsequently closed.The man’s body was found Aug. 22, several days after police reopened the case and launched an extensive search. Authorities said there were no apparent signs of foul play in his death.Police sought an arrest warrant for Bu early Monday on suspicion of dereliction of duty, falsifying electronic official records and using falsified records. He has been in police custody since Saturday.A hearing on the legality of his detention was held at the Jeju District Court on Monday morning. A ruling was expected later Monday or early Tuesday. Police conduct a forensic examination at a palm farm in Hallim-eup, Jeju Island, on Monday after finding a body believed to be that of Jang Mi-ran, who had been missing for months. (Yonhap) The case has also prompted police elsewhere in the country to review how missing-person reports have been closed.The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said Monday it is reviewing some 92,800 missing-person reports that were filed and later closed in the capital from January 2024 through this month.Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Chief Park Jeong-bo said the review is intended to determine whether any cases were improperly closed without officers sufficiently confirming the missing person's whereabouts or safety.Police have generally required officers to meet a missing person in person, or take comparable steps to confirm the person's status, before closing a report, Park said. Since November 2024, Seoul police have operated under guidelines requiring such confirmation through measures including an in-person meeting, a video call or direct contact involving family members.The review is expected to continue through the end of November.Police in Jeju are also reviewing other missing-person cases handled by Bu to determine whether any were improperly closed.