Jang Mi-ran, who went missing in Jeju [Newsis]
Jang Mi-ran, who went missing in Jeju [Newsis]

The family of Jang Mi-ran, a 37-year-old woman who went missing in Jeju, said they were considering legal action over the police's initial response after a body believed to be hers was found 104 days after she disappeared — though they later deleted the post amid controversy. Her boyfriend, meanwhile, said nothing in her life would have driven her to take her own life.

A cousin of Jang, identified only as A, wrote on SNS on Monday that "our sister who had gone missing was ultimately found dead today," adding that the family wanted to know whether a more thorough search at the time could have changed the outcome and why the case had been closed while the search was still ongoing.

A said the family was "reviewing civil and criminal legal options, including a state compensation claim," and had sought the help of lawyers experienced in state compensation, police dereliction of duty, unlawful use of public authority and missing-persons response.

The post was later deleted. In a follow-up message, A said "not all police are corrupt, and not all police are incompetent," and acknowledged the efforts of the many officers, coast guard personnel and officials who had worked to find Jang.

A also asked the public to refrain from "criticism, speculation and unrelated political commentary."

The body believed to be Jang's was found at around 10:46 a.m. Tuesday at a palm tree farm in Hallim-eup, Jeju. Police said they would confirm the identity through a detailed forensic examination.

Yoo Jae-seong, acting commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency, said the body found in Jeju was believed to be Jang, who had been missing for an extended period, and that there were "no signs so far to suggest foul play."

Asked whether Jang's identity had been confirmed, Yoo said it remained "presumed at this point," adding that the clothing, slippers and mobile phone found with the body were believed to match hers.

When asked what led investigators to conclude that a criminal act was unlikely, Yoo said it had not yet been confirmed, but that based on a report from the Jeju Police Agency chief, the death was believed to have been a suicide by hanging.

Asked whether that meant there were no signs of foul play, he replied, "That is the case for now."

Jang's boyfriend, however, said nothing had happened that would have led her to take her own life.

According to JTBC, the boyfriend said "there was nothing difficult going on in her life up until the day she disappeared that would have driven her to end it."

The initial missing-persons report for Jang was filed on May 15. The officer at the Jeju Western Police Station who handled the case closed it roughly two and a half hours after it was filed, on the grounds that contact had been made with Jang — a claim that has since come under scrutiny. Records related to Jang in the missing-persons profiling system were also found to have been deleted.

The matter came to light about two months later when the family filed a new missing-persons report with the Nowon Police Station in Seoul.

Police are conducting a comprehensive review to determine whether the officer handled other missing-persons cases in a similar manner. Concerns have grown over the possibility of additional victims after it emerged that the officer had unilaterally closed more than 200 missing-persons cases on his own.

If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of self-harm or suicide, contact the Ministry of Health and Welfare's helpline at 1393 (available 24 hours a day, seven days a week).


yeonjoo7@heraldcorp.com