Officer in missing persons uproar accused of ignoring suicide risk warning in another case

A Jeju police officer accused of falsely closing a missing persons case allegedly dismissed another case despite knowing that the man could be at risk of suicide.

The family of the man warned a police officer surnamed Bu about the potential death of the man when they first reported him missing, according to data submitted by the Korean National Police Agency to People Power Party Rep. Suh Myung-ok on Tuesday.

“My husband left on [June] 28, and we haven’t been able to reach him,” the family said in an initial missing persons report filed on July 2. “He told our child, ‘My business failed, and I have a lot of debt. Take care of yourselves.’”

The family told police that they feared the man might take his own life.

According to the family, however, Bu later falsely told the family that police had contacted the missing man and that he was safe but did not want his whereabouts disclosed to his family. The officer then closed the case.

The family waited after police told them he was safe, but when he still did not return, they repeatedly visited the Jeju Seobu Police Station. Reopening the case, however, proved difficult.

Police did not launch a search until Friday, after allegations surrounding Bu’s handling of missing persons cases came to light. Police received another report that day that the man “was in debt and could be at risk of suicide.” The man was found dead on Saturday in Songdal-ri, Gujwa-eup, Jeju.

“I went back to report him missing again a week [after the initial report], but the police told me, ‘Don’t look for your father’ and ‘Try looking for him yourself,’” the missing man’s son said during a press conference in front of the Jeju Seobu Police Station on Sunday. “When my mother went, they even told her to ‘take it somewhere else.’ Are these really police officers who serve the public?” 

The latest revelation could make it difficult for Bu to argue that police had no reason to believe the man faced a high risk after his disappearance or that the case was closed because missing adults often return home voluntarily.

The initial report of the missing man’s case contained even clearer warning signs than those in Jang Mi-ran’s case, which included reports that “My girlfriend left on [May] 13 and has not returned” on May 15 and “I have not been able to reach my female relative who has lived in Jeju for two months” reported on July 19.

Bu allegedly told Jang’s family that he had spoken to her and that she is safe. Bu then closed the case. However, investors later found no record of any call between the two. A body suspected to be Jang was found on Monday on Jeju Island.

Police have identified around 10 cases among the 298 missing persons cases handled by Bu that were closed in the missing persons profiling system on similar grounds as Jang's case.

Police are now examining three of those cases more closely because authorities have been unable to contact the missing people.

Other police agencies across Korea are also expanding their internal reviews to determine whether other missing persons cases were falsely closed.

“We have launched a comprehensive review of missing persons cases closed over the past three years,” the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency said on Tuesday. “We will focus on cases that were closed without in-person confirmation and conduct thorough reviews. If we find that a case was handled inadequately, we will order a new investigation.”

BY HEO JEONG-WON [[email protected]]