Police tape cordons off a portion of a palm farm in Jeju’s Hallim, where the body of Jang Mi-ran was found on Aug. 26, 2026, after her disappearance in May. (Yonhap)
Jang Mi-ran, a 37-year-old woman whose remains were recently discovered in Jeju, is believed to have died shortly after she went missing in May, police said.After it was revealed that the police officer who closed her missing person case did so based on an inaccurate report falsely stated she had died in a “traffic accident,” it was also learned that the same officer had cited a fake telephone number in the case of another missing person — a man in his 60s who was also recently found deceased after his case was closed based on a false report. “Judging from the fact that the deceased [Jang] showed a fixed mobile phone location and no record of any calls after leaving her residence on the evening of May 12, she appears to have died in the early morning hours the following day,” the Jeju Provincial Police announced Wednesday. “The reported state of her remains, her posture at the time of the discovery, and the clothing and slippers that the deceased was wearing suggest the likelihood of foul play is low,” they also said.Police also reported that a cord belonging to Jang was found near her body, which was discovered on Monday — 104 days after her disappearance — in a palm tree farm in Jeju City’s Hallim township, roughly 400 meters from her residence.No previous reports relating to intimate partner violence or disappearances were recorded in connection with Jang. The National Forensic Service is currently conducting a close examination to determine if she was sexually assaulted or had drugs in her system.A police official said that while foul play is viewed as unlikely, it was “too early to reach conclusions about the cause of death, and all possibilities are being left open in the investigation.”While being held in detention, the police officer who initially handled Jang’s disappearance reportedly continued to deny allegations of closing the case under false circumstances.The 34-year-old corporal with the Jeju Seobu Police Station, identified by his surname, Bu, received a report on Jang’s disappearance from her boyfriend on the evening of May 15 but closed the case two hours and 33 minutes later on the grounds that she had “died in a traffic accident.”But the recent investigation determined that Jang’s mobile phone had not been in contact with anyone before its battery ran out at 9:44 am on May 16, four days after she went missing.Regarding the reason that Jang’s older model of phone remained active for several days, a police official said, “We have inquired with the manufacturer’s research institute, but we have not yet received a response.”
