Teenager Arrested for Making 17 Prank Calls to Desperate Family of Missing Woman

A teenager has been arrested by police for making numerous prank calls to the family of a missing woman in her 30s, surnamed Jang, in Jeju.

The National Office of Investigation under the National Police Agency announced that a teenage male, identified as A, was arrested on charges of violating the Anti-Stalking Act. He allegedly sent text messages and made prank calls a total of 17 times to the contact number publicly shared by the missing person's family, saying things such as, "If you make groaning sounds, I will help you find the missing person."

Additionally, police issued an emergency provisional measure prohibiting A from making approach attempts using telecommunications, which is designated as Emergency Measure No. 2.

Previously, after Jang went missing in Jeju in May, her family uploaded flyers on social media containing her photo and an overview of the disappearance case as her whereabouts remained unconfirmed for over three months.

The flyer included the family's phone number to receive direct tips, which led to the prank calls being made to this number.

In response, Jang's family posted an additional message on social media pleading, "Our family is already going through an extremely difficult time. Please refrain from making prank calls involving groaning sounds."

A police official emphasized, "False reports, prank calls, and acts of spreading unverified information, mocking, or ridiculing online targeting the family of a missing person constitute severe secondary victimization and are subject to punishment under relevant laws."

Meanwhile, police are continuing their investigation into charges of dereliction of duty against police officer A, who allegedly closed the case by claiming he had made contact with Jang at the time of the initial missing persons report, even though no call records existed between them.

Reported by Kim Taewon | Video by Na Hong-hee | Graphics by Lee Jung-ju | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.