[Anchor]

Eight South Korean nationals are currently out of contact following floods in Nepal. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the Nepali government is conducting search operations locally. We will bring you more details shortly, but let us first turn to the case of the late Chang Mi-ran.

The case of the late Chang Mi-ran, whose body was found 104 days after she went missing, still leaves many questions unanswered. Police estimate that Chang died in the early hours of the morning the day after she left her accommodation. However, they reiterated that the possibility of her involvement in a crime is low.

First, Reporter Kim su-yun will share what the police have uncovered so far.

[Reporter]

This footage captures Chang Mi-ran on the night of May 12, just before she went missing.

Around 10:15 PM, Chang left the long-term lodging where she had been staying, and her cell phone base station signal was last detected near Hallim Port.

During their first briefing to the press today (August 26), police stated that there was no change in the location of the base station signal until Chang's phone was turned off, and no additional calls were confirmed to have been made.

Chang was ultimately found dead 104 days after her disappearance at a palm tree farm in Hallim-eup, Jeju. Police believe she most likely died in the early hours of May 13, the day after she went missing.

They added that, given various circumstances discovered at the scene, the possibility of foul play appears to be low.

Police explained that Chang's personal belongings, including her ring and headband, remained intact, and no signs of a struggle or resistance were found among the fallen palm leaves piled around the area.

Police also noted that during the crime scene investigation, they discovered a string believed to belong to Chang, and that the forensic doctor provided a verbal opinion that Chang appeared to have taken her own life by hanging.

No suicide note was found.

[Jung Tae-woon / Head of Investigation Division, Jeju Provincial Police Agency: To uncover the circumstances and motive of the crime, we have requested and deployed profilers, and we are closely analyzing various materials, including forensic data...]

It was determined that Chang had neither any record of calls with the police officer surnamed Bu who was arrested yesterday, nor any prior acquaintance with him.

Officer Bu reportedly maintains his previous claim that he "communicated with the missing person" and denies the allegations of false case closure.

(Video by: Lee Sang-hak JIBS, Ko Seung-han | Video Editing: Yeojin | Design: Cho Soo-in)