In Jeju, controversy is growing after Jang Mi-ran, who has been missing for more than three months, was labeled as a "person with a disability" in the police missing-person alert system even though she is not actually disabled.
On the 21st, the "Safety Dream" website of the Children, Women and Persons with Disabilities Support Center under the Korean National Police Agency lists "disability" in Jang's personal details.
However, Jang is not registered as a person with a disability. Police reportedly explained that they marked her as disabled in the process of issuing the missing-person alert based on her boyfriend's statement that she had depression.
Under the current system, missing-person alerts cover people with dementia and persons with disabilities, as well as children under 18. Because adult women in general are not eligible for alerts, police said they issued an alert for a missing person with a disability after obtaining the family's consent, citing the urgency of a long-term disappearance.
But the family is pushing back strongly. An investigation had already been delayed amid allegations that an officer with the Jeju Seobu Police Station falsely closed the missing-person report, and police issued the alert only after the family posted self-made missing-person flyers on social media (SNS).
In a media interview, Jang's family criticized, "We could understand if police had registered the missing person as disabled and issued an alert before the issue of a botched investigation grew, but taking such action belatedly after nationwide public anger is killing the family twice."