Regarding the long-term missing person case of a woman in her 30s, it has become increasingly likely that a Jeju police officer closed the case on his own accord from the beginning without verifying the safety of the missing woman.

According to the Jeju Provincial Police Agency today (August 20), a check of communication records for the missing Chang Mi-ran (37) revealed no record of phone calls between Police Officer A, who received the initial missing person report last May, and Chang.

In addition, an internal investigation by the police station where the officer worked found no record of phone calls between Police Officer A and Chang.

Chang's cell phone remained turned on from when she left home at 1:30 AM on May 13 until May 15, when the missing person report was filed two days later, but was turned off around May 17.

Nevertheless, Police Officer A claims, "I reported that I had made contact with the subject of the report and closed the case."

Police Officer A also stated to the police, "Chang herself said not to tell her boyfriend her location."

The police have booked Police Officer A on charges of dereliction of duty and are verifying the truth regarding whether phone calls were made.

The police are also looking into the case closure procedures carried out by Police Officer A last May.

This is because the current missing person case handling system lacks a dual-confirmation procedure by superiors, allowing Police Officer A to make a unilateral judgment and close the case.

While adult women face a high risk of being victims of crime, investigations showed that Police Officer A did not conduct face-to-face safety checks or enter relevant information into the Missing Person Profiling System, which assesses risk levels.

Chang's family argued that the perfunctory actions of the police, including Police Officer A, caused Chang's disappearance case to become prolonged.

Chang's family expressed outrage, saying, "After hearing the police explanation last May, we were relieved, believing Chang was safe and just needed time alone to sort out her thoughts personally, but three months later, she remains missing."

Particularly on July 17, her boyfriend, finding it suspicious that she remained unreachable, reported her missing to the police again, but the report was not accepted.

Chang's family stated, "Because of the existing record from the initial report last May stating that 'Chang said not to tell her boyfriend her location,' the report by Chang's boyfriend was not accepted."

Subsequently, Chang's cousin filed a missing person report for Chang again in Seoul on July 19, prompting a belated reinvestigation.

However, more than two months had passed, and closed-circuit television (CCTV) recordings and other footage around the area that could trace Chang's movements had all been deleted.

To date, no confirmed living reactions such as card usage, cell phone records, or hospital history have been reported for Chang.

Starting today through August 26, the police, together with the Korea Coast Guard and others, plan to mobilize an average of about 140 personnel per day to conduct intensive searches around Hanlim Port in Jeju, where the results of Chang's cell phone location tracking pointed.

They also plan to conduct a multi-dimensional search deploying helicopters, drones, scent-evidence dogs, divers, patrol boats, and coastal rescue boats.

During the intensive search period, the police intend to closely inspect the coastal areas of Hanlim-eup, nearby waters, agricultural roads, and presumed routes of the missing person, while also checking pensions, abandoned houses, and shelters in the province.

At the time of her disappearance, Chang had long straight hair, an estimated height of 158 cm, a slim build, wore a gold bracelet, and was characterized by a playful tone of voice.

(Photo provided by Chang Mi-ran's family, Yonhap News)