Police Initially Claimed Suspected Suicide, Yet Conclude "Cause of Death Unknown" Just a Week Later

[Anchor]

Police have stated that the cause of death for a man surnamed Chang, who went missing and was later found dead in Jeju, is "unknown." Just last week, the top police official suggested at the National Assembly the possibility of suicide, but the stance has shifted in a mere week.

Reporter Je Hui-won has the details.

[Reporter]

About five hours after the body of the missing man surnamed Chang was found at a palm tree farm in Jeju on the morning of the 24th, Acting National Police Agency Commissioner General Yoo Jae-sung attended the National Assembly and stated that the possibility of homicide was low, saying:

[Yoo Jae-sung / Acting National Police Agency Commissioner General (on the 24th): Based on what I received from the head of the Jeju Provincial Police Agency, it is presumed to be a death by hanging. (Meaning there are no signs to suspect homicide?) Yes, that is still the case.]

His explanation was that there was a high possibility of suicide, citing the absence of special trauma and the posture and location of the body.

However, criticisms continued to mount that the police chief had hastily judged the cause of death on the very day the body was found while it was in a severely decomposed state. Controversies over the cause of death persisted as suspicions were raised over whether it was even possible to hang oneself given the characteristics of a palm tree trunk.

In response, the police even conducted a reenactment experiment at the farm on the 27th, but explanations from police leadership today (the 31st) only fueled further controversy.

During a press briefing, National Investigation Headquarters Chief Hong Seok-ki stated, based on the National Forensic Service autopsy results, that "the cause of death is unclear due to body decomposition" and that "they are investigating while keeping all possibilities open."

As media reports poured out questioning whether the stance on the cause of death had changed in just a week, the police issued a re-clarification, stating that they only mentioned the factual portion of the official autopsy results while excluding speculative parts, and that it was not a reversal of their position.

Critics point out that the police have brought themselves into a difficult position, as the inability to pinpoint the cause of death due to body decomposition has brought the police chief's remarks from a week ago back under scrutiny.

(Video by Park Na-young | Graphics by Lee Ga-jin)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.