When a missing person report is filed and the subject refuses to meet with police officers, the division head and team leader must decide whether to close the case, according to internal police guidelines confirmed by SBS.

According to the internal police missing person response manual obtained through the office of People Power Party lawmaker Park Sang-woong, the guidelines state that "if a missing person refuses a face-to-face meeting with a police officer, their safety must be verified using reliable means such as video calls, contact with family members or protective facilities, or determining whether to hand them over." It also specifies that "division and team heads must carefully assess whether the case is related to a crime before deciding whether to close the case or conduct further investigation."

The manual further states that "profiling tracking details must thoroughly record whether a face-to-face meeting with the missing person took place and the results of the verification, and the division and team heads must review and approve the reasons for closure before lifting the case."

In addition, the manual stipulates that "a case is not closed until the missing person team conducts a face-to-face investigation after the person is safely found."

However, in the case of the disappearance of Jang Mi-ran, after the initial missing person report was filed at 6:43 p.m. on May 15, Police Officer Bu, who was in charge of the case, falsely told the reporter that he had "gotten in touch with Jang Mi-ran" and single-handedly closed the case at 9:16 p.m.

Although a face-to-face meeting with the missing person did not take place, Officer Bu closed the case, and there was no review or approval by a superior during the process.

Police stated that following this incident, they decided to introduce an administrator approval procedure to prevent cases from being unilaterally closed within the computer system. However, internal regulations prohibiting the unilateral closure of missing person cases already existed.

Lawmaker Park pointed out that "this incident is even more serious because it was not an accident caused by a lack of a manual, but rather a failure of already existing manuals and the command-and-supervision system to function in the field," adding that the police must not dismiss this as the deviance of a single individual.

He also added, "We must thoroughly investigate the responsibility of the command line and establish effective measures to regularly monitor field compliance so that missing person cases are never formally closed again."

Yesterday (the 25th), the Jeju District Court issued an arrest warrant for Officer Bu, who faces charges including dereliction of duty and the falsification and uttering of official electronic records, citing concerns that he might flee or destroy evidence.

The Korean National Police Agency has placed four members of the command line for this case—including the current and former chiefs of the Jeju Seobu Police Station, the head of the detective division, and the head of the missing persons team—on standby, and is conducting an inspection to verify the facts regarding their command and supervisory responsibilities.

(Photo: Provided by Yonhap News TV, Yonhap News)