Seoul: Prime Minister Han Seong-sook pledged Monday to exercise zero tolerance and sternly punish whoever is found to have mishandled missing person cases, following revelations that a police officer closed cases without confirming the safety of those missing.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Han made the remarks in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, stressing that nothing is more important than the lives and safety of people. She promised to overhaul the missing person investigation system and close any loopholes to ensure fair investigations. Han emphasized that the government will pour in every possible effort to make sure missing person investigations are conducted strictly and fairly.
Earlier in the day, Han ordered the National Police Agency to thoroughly examine the handling of all missing person cases across the nation. She pledged to reform the way police handle such cases, including separating the right to investigate cases from the right to close them. This comes after a police officer on the southern island of Jeju was arrested for closing a missing person case without confirming the woman's safety. The body of Jang Mi-ran, 37, was found earlier Monday, more than three months after she was initially reported missing by her family. The officer was also found to have closed another missing person case prematurely, where the man's body has been found.
The prime minister expressed a sense of indefinite responsibility over the case, stating, "I pray from the bottom of my heart for the soul of the late Jang Mi-ran." President Lee Jae Myung has also called for scrutiny of the police investigation system, expressing sorrow over the case, as conveyed by presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung. The president instructed officials to investigate why the missing person case was closed and the police command system involved, while also ordering the police to devise internal reform measures.