Police Shift Stance on Jeju Woman Found Dead, Citing "Undetermined Cause" After Initial Suicide Claims

Critics are pointing out that police rushed their announcements regarding the death of a woman in her 30s who was found dead in Jeju 104 days after being reported missing, as they shifted their stance from initially leaning toward suicide to stating that the cause of death is "undetermined due to body decomposition."

Hong Seok-ki, head of the National Office of Investigation, stated during a press briefing today (the 31st) regarding the cause of Chang's death, "It was confirmed as an undetermined cause of death due to the decomposition of the body," while adding, "We are investigating with all possibilities open."

This contradicts the police's previous stance from the day the body was found, when they claimed it was presumed to be a suicide.

On the 24th, when Chang's body was discovered at a palm tree farm in Hallim-eup, Jeju City, the police initially stated, "Based on the posture and location of the body, we judge the possibility of murder to be low," while adding that they would continuously investigate the possibility of criminal harm.

On the same day, immediately following the on-site forensics inspection, an interview with a police official was reported stating, "Whether it resulted from a crime will be confirmed through an autopsy, and we currently presume it to be a suicide."

Acting National Police Agency Commissioner General Yoo Jae-sung also appeared at a plenary meeting of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee on the same day. When asked about the basis for judging that the possibility of criminal harm was low, he explained, "It has not been confirmed yet," but added, "Based on what I was reported by the head of the Jeju Provincial Police Agency, it is presumed that she hanged herself and died."

Following the autopsy results from the National Forensic Service, the police continued to state that Chang was presumed to have hanged herself from a palm tree and died.

They explained that a strap presumed to have been taken by Chang from her residence was found on the trunk of the palm tree, and that after testing the strength by directly pulling on the palm tree trunk during the forensic inspection, they determined that the upper part of the tree was fully capable of supporting a person's weight.

However, suspicions have persisted as claims continue to be raised that the palm tree farm is a dark and isolated area where it would be difficult for a lone woman to visit at night, and that hanging would be impossible because the palm tree trunks are weak and have many sharp parts.

Amid ongoing controversy over the cause of death, the police initially stated that a reenactment experiment conducted at the palm tree farm on the 27th to verify whether hanging was possible—part of a detailed forensic review—indicated that "suicide was possible," but changed their stance after controversies continued following media reports.

The police stated, "The results of the reenactment experiment are not out yet," adding that a professional review process is necessary and it will take some time.

The police plan to brief specific investigation results when they transfer Police Officer A, who is currently under arrest and investigation on charges of falsely closing the missing person reports for Chang and one other person, to the prosecution on September 1.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.