A South Korean police officer has admitted that he falsely closed missing person cases because he wanted to avoid the extra work involved in investigating them.
A South Korean police officer, identified only by his surname Bu, has admitted to closing missing persons cases without investigating them. He was arrested earlier this month after mounting evidence showed he routinely lied to grieving families to keep his workload light.
The method was simple. Bu would falsely claim he had spoken to the missing person, that they did not want to be contacted, and then close the file.
When questioned by investigators, Bu offered a stark explanation for his actions. “The missing person was a typical adult so I thought about it carelessly,” he stated. “If the case was not closed, there would have been a lot to take care of, and out of a sense of pressure over the case handover, I falsely closed it.”
The human cost of this laziness is now coming to light.
In one heartbreaking case, a 37-year-old woman named Jang Mi-ran went missing in May. Her boyfriend reported her disappearance, but Bu told him he had already spoken to her and she wanted no contact. To seal the lie, Bu even logged a fake traffic accident death in the system before closing the case. Jang’s body was finally discovered near a palm tree plantation on Jeju just last week.
In another case, a man in his 60s went missing in July. Bu used the same false narrative to shut down the search. That man was also found dead earlier this month.
Following the scandal, police have scrambled to reopen old files. They believe Bu may have prematurely closed up to 25 other cases. While some of those individuals were eventually confirmed to be alive and safe, the damage to public trust is severe.
SEE ALSO: Court Sentences Unification Church Leader to 2 Years in Prison Over Bribery
South Korea sees about 70,000 missing adults each year, and the system relies on the public believing that cases are handled swiftly. This scandal has erupted at a highly sensitive time, just as the government passed laws to give the police more investigative power a move already unpopular due to fears of corruption.
President Lee Jae Myung has vowed to reform the force in response to the public outcry. He described officers like Bu as “loach-like figures who muddy the well water,” noting that their actions damage the honor and pride of the majority of diligent police officers.
The searches on Jeju continue. But for the families who were fed comforting lies while their loved ones were in danger, the betrayal cuts just as deep as the loss itself.
Promise Idoko is Junior Reporter working with moderncrux He covers global politics and international affairs. Based in Nigeria,
