After a missing-persons case was falsely closed by police,

a guide reflecting public distrust in law enforcement spreads online

Jeju Provincial Police Agency Commissioner Ko Pyeong-gi bows in apology at the agency's headquarters on Thursday, 13 days after a formal investigation was launched into an officer who falsely closed a missing-persons case. [Yonhap]
Jeju Provincial Police Agency Commissioner Ko Pyeong-gi bows in apology at the agency's headquarters on Thursday, 13 days after a formal investigation was launched into an officer who falsely closed a missing-persons case. [Yonhap]

A guide on what to do when a family member suddenly goes missing has been spreading rapidly online following the case of Jang Mi-ran, 37, who was found dead roughly three months after she was reported missing on Jeju Island.

A post titled "10 commandments for filing a missing-persons report" has been drawing wide attention on social media and online communities as of Monday.

[Captured from online community]
[Captured from online community]

The post advises people to record the 112 emergency report reference number and note the name and unit of the officer handling the case. It also urges families to insist the case be logged as a missing-persons report rather than a voluntary absence, to ask nearby shop owners and other CCTV owners to preserve footage, and to register family DNA in advance for potential comparison against unidentified bodies.

The guide also calls for near-investigative information gathering: compiling a chronological record of the missing person's last known location, the time of their last call or text, their physical description and belongings, and keeping a recent photograph on hand.

If police close a case by claiming they made contact with the missing person, the guide says families should press for specifics — whether the contact was a phone call, whether a recording exists, and whether the person was confirmed in person.

The post further advises requesting a formal meeting with the head of the missing-persons investigation team if there is no progress, and using a temporary number when posting on social media to prevent secondary harm.

The post has drawn significant attention, logging 1.6 million views.

Online users also shared unverified tips, such as claims that police sometimes log missing-persons reports as voluntary absences, and that mentioning a missing person left behind their regular medication may prompt officers to treat the case more seriously. Some expressed dismay: "It's sad that we've reached a point where we can't trust the police this much."

Officer Bu, a senior patrol officer facing charges — including dereliction of duty, falsification of electronic public records and obstruction of official duties — leaves the Jeju District Court on Tuesday after a pretrial detention hearing. [Yonhap]
Officer Bu, a senior patrol officer facing charges — including dereliction of duty, falsification of electronic public records and obstruction of official duties — leaves the Jeju District Court on Tuesday after a pretrial detention hearing. [Yonhap]

Jang lost contact sometime between the late afternoon of May 12 and the early hours of May 13 after leaving her home in Hallim-eup, Jeju. Officer Bu, who was on the night shift at the Jeju Western Police Station's missing-persons unit, falsely reported that contact had been made with the subject and closed the case. Jang's body was found Monday — 104 days after she went missing — in a palm grove near her home.

Officer Bu was also detained on charges of falsely closing a separate missing-persons report involving a man in his 60s, surnamed Park, last month.

Meanwhile, data submitted to People Power Party lawmaker Kim Jae-seop by the Korean National Police Agency show that Officer Bu closed 298 missing-persons cases over roughly 16 months from March last year through the end of July this year — accounting for 28.4 percent of the 1,048 adult missing-persons cases filed on Jeju during that period.


jshan@heraldcorp.com