A body believed to be that of 37-year-old Jang Mi-ran, who went missing in May, was discovered on August 24, 104 days after her disappearance. The police are currently investigating to confirm the identity.
According to Yonhap News and the Jeju Police Agency, the body was found at approximately 10:46 a.m. near Hallim-eup in Jeju City during a joint search operation.
However, the body has significantly decomposed, making identification difficult. The location where the body was found is about 1 kilometer from the lodging where Jang was last seen, a roughly 10-minute walk away. Based on the condition of the body, police do not believe there is a high likelihood of foul play.
Jang was last seen leaving her long-term lodging at 10:15 p.m. on May 12, after which she was captured on nearby closed-circuit television before her whereabouts became unknown.
Her partner reported her missing to the Jeju Western Police Station at 6:43 p.m. on May 15, stating that Jang had disappeared.
Upon receiving the report, police tracked Jang's cellphone and determined that she had moved toward Hallim Port. However, an officer, identified as Officer A, falsely informed Jang's partner that she was safe and had asked not to disclose her location to anyone, leading to the cessation of search efforts.
When Jang's partner was unable to contact her again, they attempted to report her missing again on June 17, but Officer A's previous note prevented the report from being filed.
Jang's family subsequently reported her missing again on June 19, prompting a renewed search effort.
Since early August, police have been conducting searches around Hallim Port, the last known location, but had not located Jang until now.
Police have since arrested Officer A and are investigating the motives behind his actions, as well as other cases of false report closures he handled.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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