It has been confirmed that the original 112 call recording of the first report regarding Jang Mi-ran, 37, who was found dead in Jeju after being reported missing, was deleted after its retention period expired. Police did not secure the file while investigating the case of the false closure of the missing-person report.
According to the office of Joo Jin-woo of the People Power Party on the 26th, police failed to secure the 112 recording from May 15, when Jang's boyfriend first reported her missing. Under applicable rules, the recording was kept for three months and was automatically deleted on the 16th of this month.
The issue is that an investigation into Sergeant A of the Jeju Seobu Police Station, who falsely closed Jang's missing-person report at the time, was already underway. Police booked Sergeant A on Aug. 11 and launched an investigation, but reportedly did not extend the recording's retention period.
Jang's boyfriend called at about 6:43 p.m. on May 15 and said, "My girlfriend, who lived with me, went out on the 13th and hasn't come back." However, about two hours and 30 minutes later, Sergeant A said contact had been made with Jang and asked to close the case on the grounds that there were no issues concerning her safety. Because of that record, the boyfriend's renewed report last month was not accepted, and the follow-up search started only after another family member filed a report.
Police have reportedly said that although the original recording was deleted, there is no problem with the investigation. They said the fact and details of the report can be verified through the 112 incident processing log, and that the materials needed to establish the charges have been secured.