Officer A of the Jeju Western Police Station, who was arrested Sunday on suspicion of falsely closing missing-persons cases, is escorted from the Jeju Eastern Police Station detention facility to a transport vehicle Sunday afternoon. [Yonhap]
Officer A of the Jeju Western Police Station, who was arrested Sunday on suspicion of falsely closing missing-persons cases, is escorted from the Jeju Eastern Police Station detention facility to a transport vehicle Sunday afternoon. [Yonhap]

A Jeju Western Police Station officer arrested for allegedly falsifying records to close two missing-persons cases — including that of a woman named Jang Mi-ran — had previously been stripped of his duties last month over sexual misconduct allegations, officials said.

The Jeju Provincial Police Agency said Monday it has applied for a detention warrant for Officer A, a junior patrolman at the Jeju Western Police Station, on charges of dereliction of duty, forgery and use of official electronic records, and obstruction of official duties through deception. The application cited concerns over evidence destruction and flight risk.

Officer A of the Jeju Western Police Station, who was arrested Sunday on suspicion of falsely closing missing-persons cases, is escorted from the Jeju Eastern Police Station detention facility to a transport vehicle Sunday afternoon. [Yonhap]
Officer A of the Jeju Western Police Station, who was arrested Sunday on suspicion of falsely closing missing-persons cases, is escorted from the Jeju Eastern Police Station detention facility to a transport vehicle Sunday afternoon. [Yonhap]

Officer A is accused of lying to the person who reported Jang missing in May, telling them contact had been made with her, then unilaterally closing the case and deleting her records from the missing-persons profiling system.

He is also accused of using a similar method to falsely close a separate missing-persons case involving a man in his 60s on July 2.

Separately, Officer A was booked and stripped of his duties after allegedly entering a women's restroom at his police station on July 22. He also received an internal warning in 2023 following a domestic violence report.

A flyer seeking information on Jang Mi-ran, 37, who has been missing for more than three months.
A flyer seeking information on Jang Mi-ran, 37, who has been missing for more than three months.

Seo Jeong-bin, a lawyer at Soul Law Firm, said Monday on YTN's "News UP" that Officer A had been caught entering a women's restroom inside the police station and that an internal disciplinary investigation was underway. "While this is a separate matter from the missing-persons cases, it raises serious questions about whether the police force's personnel management system is functioning properly," Seo said.

Seo also raised the possibility that Officer A may have improperly closed other missing-persons cases beyond the two known instances. "A full review must be conducted to determine whether there are any other cases he was involved in where families were given false information before the case was closed," he said.

According to the Jeju Provincial Police Agency, a total of 2,544 adults aged 18 or older were reported missing on Jeju Island over the three years from 2023 through last year. At the Jeju Western Police Station, where Officer A was assigned, between one and two missing-persons reports were typically filed each day, with as many as four or five on busier days.


jshan@heraldcorp.com