SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A South Korean police officer’s alleged falsification of documents in two missing-person cases has exposed gaps in police oversight and fueled public distrust of police. Those two missing people — and two others -- were found dead on South Korea’s most popular resort island, Jeju in the past several days, sparking a media frenzy. The scandal also comes as the country prepares for a restructuring of its criminal justice system that will give police greater authority because prosecutors will be stripped of their investigative powers.Responding to the public concerns, President Lee Jae Myung instructed his prime minister at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday to explore ways to reform police.An officer who closed the missing-person casesIn one case, the officer — who has only been identified by his family name, Bu — closed the missing-person report on a 37-year-old woman who disappeared more than three months ago without confirming her safety. Bu allegedly lied to the woman’s boyfriend, telling him at the time that he had reached her by phone but that she asked for her location to not be disclosed.
The body of the woman, Jang Mi-ran, was found at a palm tree farm on Jeju Island on Monday.
