South Korea cop closed missing persons cases to avoid work: Police

The resulting scandal prompted President Lee Jae Myung to order an investigation into the handling of Jang's case and call for reforms within the police force.(AFP) — A South Korean police officer lied to close more than two dozen missing persons cases, including those of two people later found dead, to avoid additional work, authorities said Tuesday.Two of the missing people were among four bodies found over several days in August on Jeju, shaking the resort island and prompting calls for answers from police.One case involved 37-year-old Jang Mi-ran, whose body was discovered Aug. 24, months after her boyfriend reported her missing.The resulting scandal prompted President Lee Jae Myung to order an investigation into the handling of Jang’s case and call for reforms within the police force.Another case involved a man in his 60s who had also been reported missing.The officer, surnamed Bu, was arrested last week and accused of recording Jang’s death as a “traffic accident” while telling her family he had contacted her and that she did not wish to be found.Bu falsely closed the cases because he “was driven primarily by work-related negligence arising from accumulated workload pressures and fatigue associated with increased responsibilities,” Jeju Police Agency detective Jung Tae-woon told reporters Tuesday.“The suspect’s evasive and irresponsible attitude is believed to have contributed to the offense,” he added.Police said they could not determine the cause of Jang’s death because of the advanced decomposition of her body, a departure from their earlier assessment that there were no signs of foul play.Police conducted a comprehensive review of about 300 missing persons cases handled by Bu over roughly 16 months.They found that Bu falsely closed an additional 25 cases without verifying the whereabouts of the missing people or by deleting records after reporting them dead.All 25 people involved in those cases were eventually found safe, authorities said.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads