South Korean police officer admits to closing missing person cases to avoid work
A South Korean police officer on Jeju Island has been arrested for falsely closing missing persons cases to reduce his workload. The scandal has led to the discovery of bodies and prompted the President to call for urgent police reform.
Why it matters
The incident has sparked a national crisis of confidence in law enforcement, leading to significant political pressure for institutional accountability.
Image source, News1 Image caption, The police officer, known by his surname Bu, was arrested earlier this month
A South Korean police officer has admitted to closing missing persons cases without investigating them in order to avoid additional work, according to authorities.
The officer, surnamed Bu, was arrested earlier this month after he was accused of prematurely closing cases on the popular holiday island Jeju and lying to missing persons' families.
Amid mounting public criticism, police embarked on belated searches for several missing persons on the island, and have since discovered four bodies in recent weeks.
The scandal has prompted President Lee Jae Myung to vow to reform the police, as the government prepares to give the police more powers.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in