Jeju steps up missing persons safety response as tourism industry on edge

JEJU — Jeju Island's tourism industry is on alert after four missing people were found dead amid allegations that police had falsely closed around 200 missing persons cases on the island. The Jeju provincial government has begun establishing a joint response system for missing persons cases as unverified claims linking the cases to crimes spread on social media.

The concerns skyrocketed earlier this month when the body of 37-year-old Jang Mi-ran was found on the island after missing for over three months. Her boyfriend initially reported her disappearance at 6:43 p.m. on May 15 but the officer who handled her report, surnamed Bu, closed the case after he told her family that he had contacted Jang but Jang didn't want to be found.

Police found no phone record between Bu and Jang.

Jeju finalized a comprehensive safety plan Thursday at a meeting chaired by Gov. Wi Seong-gon and attended by officials from the police, Coast Guard, fire authorities and Jeju autonomous police. The plan calls for a joint response team for missing persons and emergency cases to be established this month, along with an integrated manual that sets out each agency’s role from the initial report to search and rescue efforts and the decision to end a search.

The province also plans to extend the retention period for footage from public CCTV cameras from the current 30 days to at least 60 days. The measure aims to address problems in long-term missing persons cases, where CCTV footage may already have been deleted if a report is filed late or the initial response is inadequate, which makes it difficult to trace a missing person's movements.

The autonomous police will increase daytime patrols to as many as 20 teams, 40 officers total and nighttime patrols to eight teams, 16 officers total for a month starting Friday. Authorities will also work with hotels and rental car companies to develop guidelines for reporting and responding when solo travelers lose contact.

The tourism industry has grown increasingly concerned as online rumors that Jeju is unsafe have spread since Jang's case came to light. False claims include allegations that all 298 missing persons reports handled by the police officer who falsely closed Jang's case were improperly closed, as well as speculation linking the cases to organ trafficking and crimes involving foreign nationals.

The investigation into Jang's disappearance and police officer Bu's alleged false closure of the case has also gained pace. The Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Police Agency questioned Bu, who is in custody over allegations that he falsely closed the missing-person case, on Thursday.

Bu has denied the allegations, saying that he spoke with Jang but cannot remember what means of communication he used.

An autopsy by the National Forensic Service, however, has further cast doubt on Bu's account. Jang is believed to have died sometime between the night of May 12 and the early hours of May 13, three days before she was reported missing. This means Jang was likely already dead when Bu claims to have spoken with her.

Police believe Jang was unlikely to have been the victim of a crime, citing the absence of signs of a struggle at the scene and the fact that her jewelry remained intact.

The forensic pathologist also raised the possibility that Jang died by hanging. Part of her hyoid bone was fractured, but the body was badly decomposed and partially skeletonized, which made it difficult to determine whether she had suffered injuries or suffocated.

Authorities have also not ruled out the possibility that the damage occurred after her death as the body decomposed.

Police have brought in a profiler as they seek to determine why Bu allegedly falsely closed Jang's case.

Officer Bu is currently also accused of falsely closing another missing persons case involving a man in his 60s who was reported missing in July. The man’s family filed another missing persons report after Jang’s case came to light, and he was found dead on Friday.

Separate from the missing persons cases,  Bu is accused of entering a women's restroom at his police station before Jang's disappearance. Details have emerged as the police confirmed that the DNA collected last month from both upper walls of a toilet stall in the women's restroom at Jeju Seobu Police Station matched Bu's DNA.

Bu has denied entering the restroom for a sexual purpose, and argued that he lost his balance and touched the walls for support.

Ko Pyeong-ki, the Jeju police agency chief, apologized for the two deaths tied to Bu's cases. "I sincerely apologize to the two people who never made it back to their families and to their loved ones, who are going through unimaginable grief," he said. Ko's apology over Jang's case came 13 days after the investigation into Bu began.

Commissioner Ko also visited Jang's funeral Thursday to apologize to her family and promise a thorough investigation. After paying his respects at the funeral hall of a hospital in Jeju, he repeatedly bowed to the family members. The family sat at a table with somber expressions as they spoke with Ko.

“We ask that the investigation now focus on the police officer who falsely closed the missing persons case, rather than on the deceased,” Jang's family said.

BY CHOI KYEONG-HO,  CHOI CHOONG-IL, HAN CHAN-WOO [[email protected]]