Acting Commissioner General Kim Jong-cheol said the so-called "Jeju missing person false-closure case" has prompted a full review of 310,000 missing-person cases over the past three years, adding, "We have checked 128,000 cases so far and found no indications of potential problems."
At his first regular press briefing on the 14th, Acting Commissioner General Kim said, "We plan to complete the full review by Nov.," offering this explanation. He noted, "In my first words upon taking office as acting chief, I used the term 'redesign,'" adding, "I see urgent need for improvements starting with missing-person cases and the protection of socially vulnerable people and victims."
To enhance the completeness of missing-person investigations, police decided to operate dedicated long-term missing-person units at the Korean National Police Agency and at provincial offices. They also plan to add personnel to prevent lone shifts by missing-person officers at night or on weekends.
Police are also discussing with the National Assembly the enactment of an "Adult Missing Persons Act" to allow confirmation of location information and transit card usage records of reported-missing adults. This measure aims to provide a legal basis for warrantless location tracking in urgent cases, such as for children under 18, people with intellectual disabilities, and patients with dementia.
However, there are also many concerns about potential abuse. Acting Commissioner General Kim said, "There is also an option to limit it to suicide attempters or high-risk groups," adding, "If personal information is queried, we will immediately notify the missing person, and we will oversee safeguards such as criminal penalties for uses beyond the stated purpose."