Actor Jin Jae-young. [Jin Jae-young's Instagram]
Actor Jin Jae-young. [Jin Jae-young's Instagram]

Jin Jae-young, an actor who has lived on Jeju Island for a decade, has spoken candidly about her concerns over public safety there.

On Tuesday, Jin posted a photo of Jeju's dark nighttime scenery on her SNS account, writing: "I don't go out much at night, but lately even taking a walk on Jeju feels a little scary."

Her remarks appear to be connected to a string of bodies found on the island in recent days.

On Monday, the body of a person believed to be Jang Mi-ran, 37, who had been reported missing three months earlier, was discovered on Jeju, followed by the bodies of two other men who had also been reported missing. Combined with another body found on Saturday, four bodies linked to missing-persons cases were discovered on the island within three days.

Amid the developments, Hong Hye-geol, a broadcaster and former physician who lives on Jeju, also took to SNS on Monday to urge people to avoid venturing alone into remote areas of the island.

Hong said Jeju "is a truly beautiful place, but should never be taken lightly," noting that secluded paths with little foot traffic can be found throughout the island's villages without venturing deep into Hallasan. He particularly warned that straying even slightly from the oreums — volcanic hills — or the Olle trails quickly puts a person in areas with no one around, and advised people to avoid walking alone.

"I would not recommend wandering alone even in broad daylight or on paved roads," he said. "That goes for women, of course, but also for fit men."

However, after some criticized his remarks for potentially spreading a negative image of Jeju, Hong clarified: "I'm saying let's be careful — not that Jeju is dangerous." He added that the recent news about missing persons on the island was "deeply saddening," and said, "Jeju is such a charming place that I believe people's love for it will soon return."

Meanwhile, a past account by singer Seong Hyeon-woo, who said he was threatened with a weapon on Jeju, has also been drawing renewed attention.

In February, Seong said on his YouTube channel that while traveling alone on Jeju in 2021, he had a confrontation with a man at a restaurant, after which the man allegedly followed him with a weapon.

Seong said he fled the scene to avoid danger and reported the incident to police, and the man was apprehended. The man was later sentenced to prison on charges of aggravated intimidation.

Meanwhile, Jeju's tourism industry is on edge as online allegations — including criticism of police and speculation about possible criminal involvement — have mounted following the discovery of Jang's body.

Industry officials said they were worried that the public backlash against police could hurt Jeju tourism, and called on police and administrative authorities to step in before unfounded theories about criminal activity spread further.


betterj@heraldcorp.com