The likelihood has grown that the police officer who took a report on a long-term missing woman in her 30s in Jeju closed the case without checking the missing person's safety. The officer claimed to have spoken with the missing woman, but it turned out there was no call record.
On the 20th, the Jeju Provincial Police Agency said that a review of the phone records of Jang Miran, 37, who went missing in May, found no record that Sergeant A and Jang had currency. An internal police station review also reportedly found no currency records.
Jang left home on the night of May 12 and then lost contact. Her mobile phone remained on until the 15th of the same month, but it was determined to have been turned off starting on the morning of the 16th.
At the time, Sergeant A reportedly filed a report saying, "Contact was made with the person who was the subject of the report, and the case was closed." The officer also said Jang had asked not to tell her boyfriend her location.
For adult women at high risk of being crime victims, safety must be verified through an in-person check and the relevant details entered into the system. Sergeant A was found not to have gone through these procedures. Police booked Sergeant A on suspicion of dereliction of duty and are investigating whether there was actual currency and how the case was closed.
Jang's family says the police's poor response caused them to miss the golden time for the search. After more than two months without contact, they filed another missing person report on the 19th of last month, but by then many surrounding closed-circuit (CC) TV videos that could have confirmed Jang's movements had already been deleted.
So far, there has reportedly been no sign of life from Jang, such as credit card use, mobile phone records, or hospital visits.
Police, together with the Korea Coast Guard, plan to conduct a search focusing on the area around Hallim Port in Jeju, where Jang's mobile phone location was last confirmed.