Police cannot determine cause of Jeju woman’s death, top investigator says

Police have been unable to determine the cause of a woman’s death — who was found dead in Jeju 104 days after she went missing — due to the decomposition of her body, the head of Korea's national investigation office said Monday.

"We were unable to determine the cause of death [of the woman] due to the decomposition of the body," Hong Seok-ki, head of the National Office of Investigation at the Korean National Police Agency, said at the agency's headquarters in Seodaemun District, western Seoul.

Hong said police are investigating the case with all possibilities open.

He also acknowledged the responsibility for a series of investigations that have recently drawn criticism over police mishandling, including the Jeju missing persons case and the Jang Yun-gi case.

In the Jeju case, an officer allegedly closed a missing persons report without confirming the woman's safety, and the Jang case raised questions over failures in the initial police investigation that were later uncovered through a supplementary investigation by prosecutors.

"This was not merely misconduct by individual officers. Supervision and oversight by managers, including myself, also failed to function properly," Hong said. "I am reflecting on that. There have been investigations, both major and minor, that were poorly handled, and I am well aware of the public's concerns as police prepare to take on greater responsibility for investigations. I feel a heavy sense of responsibility."

His remarks come as Korea prepares for changes to its criminal justice system that would further reduce prosecutors' investigative authority, leaving police with greater responsibility for criminal investigations.

Hong said investigators who neglect or abuse their investigative authority, as well as supervisors who fail to properly oversee them, will be held accountable.

At the same time, he said the police will seek measures to boost morale among investigators who have diligently carried out their duties but have become discouraged amid the recent controversies.

Police are reviewing approximately 310,000 missing persons cases closed over the past three years in response to the Jeju case, aiming to complete the review by the end of November.

As of Friday, around 15,100 cases had been reviewed, with no serious problems reported so far, according to Hong.

Police are examining whether officers directly met missing people before closing their cases or confirmed their safety remotely, such as by phone. In particular, cases that were closed without in-person confirmation are being reviewed first.

A separate review of all 298 missing-person cases handled by an officer at Jeju Seobu Police Station who is suspected of falsely closing a missing persons report has also been completed. The Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Police Agency also formed a team of around 20 people to review the cases and plans to announce the findings Tuesday.

The Jeju officer, now indicted, reportedly gave some statements during the investigation about the circumstances and motive behind the false closure.

Police are also conducting an internal investigation into the supervisors who approved the Jeju officer's false report and fellow officers who responded to the scene with the officer. Police will decide whether disciplinary action or criminal charges are warranted based on the findings. No other officers have been booked in connection with the case so far.

Police are also tightening procedures for closing missing persons cases to prevent similar failures.

The missing persons profiling system will be revised so that when an investigator requests that a missing persons case be closed, a supervisor must give final approval. When investigators cannot directly meet a missing person, police officers at a nearby precinct or police substation will be asked to verify the person's safety.

If a missing person refuses to meet the police, the case will be closed only after a trusted person directly confirms the person's safety, with assistance from firefighters or staff at a local administrative welfare center if necessary.

Police also plan to improve how they assess the level of risk when a missing persons report is first filed.

"We will overhaul the system so that cases that can be quickly closed are closed, while those that need to be immediately converted into investigations can be dealt with without delay," Hong said.

Police also plan to discuss increasing staffing with the relevant authorities to address the situation. For now, only one investigator, who takes full charge of missing persons cases, is on duty at night.

"Even though most police stations have teams dedicated to missing-person cases, many operate with only one person on duty at a time," Hong said. "In the long term, we will discuss with relevant authorities how much staffing would be necessary."

Police will also seek to address gaps in the current system that make it difficult to use compulsory measures such as location tracking for missing adults who do not have dementia or intellectual disabilities.

"Ordinary adults may also be in danger, but there are limits to the measures permitted under current law," Hong said. "We will work to ensure that the police's supplementary measures can be reflected in related legislation submitted to the National Assembly."

BY JEONG JAE-HONG [[email protected]]