The family of Mr. A, a man found dead 51 days after he went missing in Jeju, visited Jeju Seobu Police Station on the 23rd to protest.
The family said police were inadequate in their initial response and falsely closed the case.
Mr. A's son said, "Right after we filed the missing person report on the 2nd of last month, the officer in charge told us 'your father is safe,' but I was not reassured and asked for help two more times after that."
He added, "The officer in charge explained to the effect that 'your father asked not to disclose his whereabouts,' and I waited for my father, trusting that explanation."
He went on, "After that, my father still could not be reached, so we went back to the police, but all they said was 'the missing person is not answering calls' and 'the family should look into it privately,'" adding, "Our family trusted the police but did not receive sufficient help."
He wept as he said, "A news report about a falsely closed missing person case sounded similar to my father's case, so we filed another missing person report on the 21st, and the next day a body believed to be my father's was found."
He also said, "This is not simply about an apology; please disclose whether the judgments or measures at the time of the first report were appropriate and whether an active search was conducted. If there was a wrongful response, hold those responsible to account."
Another family member said, "What were the police doing until a person became a skeleton, until the body was unrecognizable?"
Earlier, Mr. A's family filed a missing person report with police on the 2nd of last month. Police closed the case, saying "Mr. A is safe," and also cleared Mr. A's missing entry from the missing person profiling system.
Mr. A's family recently learned of Ms. Jang Miran's case through news reports and filed another report with police, saying Mr. A was still missing.
In the process, police identified the officer who closed the case at the time as Sergeant B and on the 21st also confirmed the false closure. Sergeant B is said to have deceived the family on the 2nd of last month, when the missing person report was filed, by saying "Mr. A is safe," and to have said, "It is difficult to disclose his whereabouts because Mr. A does not want it."
Police then conducted a search for Mr. A and found his body the day before, 51 days after he went missing. Police urgently arrested Sergeant B the day before and are investigating the circumstances of the false closure.
Ms. Jang Miran has remained missing for more than three months since the initial report in May. Police are searching the area around Hallim Port to find her whereabouts.