Body Believed to Be Jang Mi-ran Found 3 Months After False Case Closure

[Anchor]

A body believed to be Jang Mi-ran, who went missing in Jeju last May, has been found. It was located just a five-minute walk from her accommodation. The outcome might have been different had the police acted in a timely manner.

For our first story, here is Jung Yong-gi from JIBS.

[Reporter]

A large number of police officers have been dispatched to a farm lined with palm trees.

Forensic investigators are bustling back and forth at the scene.

The body, believed to be that of Jang Mi-ran, who had been missing for over three months, was found at around 10:45 AM.

Police confirmed circumstances pointing to a false closure of Jang's disappearance case last month and have been conducting intensive searches since the 20th.

The palm tree farm where the body suspected to be the missing person was found is located about 400 meters in a straight line from the accommodation where she was staying.

Police have launched a forensic investigation to determine the exact circumstances.

A mobile phone of the same model used by Jang was found at the scene, and her clothes were also found to be identical to the ones she was wearing at the time of her disappearance.

The farm area is known to be a place where Jang frequently walked her pet dog.

Police believe the possibility of criminal harm is low and are investigating her exact identity and the time of death.

[Kim Eun-sung / Head of Detective Division, Jeju Seobu Police Station: It has been confirmed that the hooded sweatshirt, slippers, and pants worn in the footage when leaving her residence all match. We found the body while conducting a large-scale search moving toward the mountainous area.]

This is not the only problematic disappearance case.

A man in his 60s, whose disappearance case was also falsely closed on July 2nd—the day the missing person report was filed—was found dead in Gujwa-eup, Jeju City, about 50 days after going missing.

In both cases, the missing person investigations were closed mere hours after the initial reports, leaving a significant gap before reports were filed again.

This is why criticism is mounting that the police themselves missed the initial response opportunities to find the missing persons.

(Video by: Kang Myung-chul / JIBS)

Jung Yong-gi, JIBS
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.