Prosecutors have launched back-to-back raids on the Jeju Provincial Police Agency and the Jeju Western Police Station in connection with the investigation into the false closure of missing persons cases.
On the morning of September 9, the Jeju District Prosecutors' Office sent investigators to the Jeju Police Agency and the Jeju Western Police Station to secure additional internal electronic data and documents related to the handling of missing persons cases. This follow-up raid comes after the previous day's search did not yield all the necessary materials.
On September 8, prosecutors conducted a rigorous nine-hour raid on key departments, including the Seoul Police Agency headquarters, the Criminal Division of the Jeju Police Agency, and the offices of the Jeju Western Police Station, including the chief's office, the Criminal Division, the missing persons team, and the duty room. Forensic investigators were deployed to seize internal messenger chat logs and electronic records, as well as to examine the operational processes of the missing persons profiling system.
The main suspect in this investigation, a sergeant in the missing persons team at the Jeju Western Police Station, is accused of accessing the electronic system without verifying the whereabouts of missing persons and inputting false information, as well as unlawfully deleting cases from the management list.
The sergeant is alleged to have falsely closed the missing persons report of a woman in her 30s, identified as Jang, on May 30, and later closed the report of a man in his 60s, Park, in July, citing false reasons such as 'traffic accident death.' The sergeant was transferred to custody on charges of obstruction of justice on September 1.
What is particularly concerning is that the sergeant's actions were not isolated incidents. The Jeju Police Agency revealed that a review of 298 cases closed by the sergeant from March of last year to July of this year uncovered 25 additional instances of improper handling, including false closures and record deletions.
As prosecutors continue their intensive investigation, attention is expected to shift toward the police leadership. Investigators will focus on whether proper oversight and approvals were conducted by superiors while the sergeant accessed the missing persons profiling system in administrator mode and input false reasons for numerous cases.
In response to the incident, the Jeju Western Police Station has placed four managers, including the former and current chiefs and heads of the Criminal Division and missing persons team, on standby.
Prosecutors are examining the seized digital evidence and messenger conversations to determine if there was any organizational complicity or negligence by superiors, while also considering whether to extend the custody period of the detained sergeant.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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