Police cordon off an area near where a body believed to belong to a missing woman was found on Aug. 24, 2026. (Yonhap)
A body believed to be that of Jang Mi-ran, 37, a woman who went missing in May after losing contact with her family, has been found on Jeju Island 101 days after a police officer closed the missing person report after falsely claiming she had been accounted for.Jeju police face mounting criticism for attempting to cover up her disappearance by falsely claiming that an officer had contacted her.Jeju Provincial Police said it recovered a body Monday at 10:46 am believed to be that of Jang in the town of Hallim in northwestern Jeju. Jang’s cell phone and the clothes she was wearing at the time of her disappearance were found in the area as well. Police plan to confirm the identity and cause of death through DNA analysis.The body was discovered at a palm farm 400 meters, or a 10-minute walk, from Jang’s long-term accommodation. A police source said that the possibility of foul play appeared to be low. Jang is known to have gone off the grid on May 12 at 10:15 pm after leaving her lodging in Hallim. Three days later at 6:43 pm, her boyfriend reported her missing to police, but a senior patrol officer on the missing persons investigation team at Jeju Seobu Police Station falsely claimed that he made contact with her to close the case after about two and a half hours.Police only launched a large-scale search two months later after her family, who had been waiting for over two months to hear from her, on Thursday began receiving tips from social media. Her body was found four days later.The body of a missing man in his 60s whom the same officer had also claimed was safe was also discovered Friday.The officer had been placed under arrest for dereliction of duty, but the Jeju District Court ordered his release on Monday after a warrant review. But Jeju prosecutors belonging to a task force for the case applied for a detention warrant the same day to take the officer in question into custody.Police said that since March last year, he had handled 298 missing persons cases for his team.Chief Blue House spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said President Lee Jae Myung ordered a meticulous probe into the facts throughout the investigation into Jang’s disappearance, as well as a review of the closure of the case and the overall command and supervisory system.Lee also conveyed his “deep sorrow and regret” and ordered police to devise plans for reform, including sweeping institutional improvements.By Seo Bo-mi, staff reporter; Shim Woo-sam, staff reporter; Jung Hwan-bong, staff reporterPlease direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]
