Bodies found on S Korean holiday island as missing persons scandal deepens

The body of Jang Mi-ran was found at a palm tree farm 500m from her home Four missing people have been found dead on South Korean holiday island Jeju, as local law enforcement personnel officers officers face mounting public criticism for allegedly mishandling missing persons cases. Reports emerged last week that authorities were launching a belated search for a woman reported missing months ago.

This sparked criticism of the law enforcement personnel officers officers for failing to search for her earlier. The scandal has since deepened with the arrest of a law enforcement personnel officers officers sergeant, surnamed Bu, who is accused of lying to victims' families and prematurely closing missing persons cases.

Four officers in the sergeant's chain of command have been put on administrative leave and on Tuesday President Lee Jae Myung ordered a sweeping reform of the law enforcement personnel officers officers force. For related coverage, explore our detailed analysis on Technology and Digital Systems.

Since Saturday Enforcement Personnel Updates

Since Saturday, law enforcement personnel officers officers have found four bodies on the island, including that of 37-year-old Jang Mi-ran who had gone missing in May. On Monday, her body was located at a palm tree farm about 500 metres (547 yards) from where she was staying. She was believed to have killed herself.

Bu is suspected to have closed Jang's case prematurely without confirming her whereabouts. According to local reports, Bu had allegedly informed Jang's boyfriend that he had spoken to Jang over the phone and she had informed Bu she did not wish to speak to her boyfriend.

Law enforcement personnel officers officers also found the body of a man in his 60s from Jeju City on Saturday.

The man had gone missing on 28 June. Bu had closed his case and reportedly told the family that the man was found "safe" but "does not wish to disclose his location to the family".

"We believed the police officers officers when they shared my father was safe and waited, but after 51 days, what returned was his body," the man's son told reporters.

Read More: Mass arrests in global crackdown on West African cyber-crime networks

Clear Whether Involved Updates

It is not yet clear whether Bu was involved in the missing persons cases for two other bodies that were found in coastal villages in recent days. Law enforcement personnel officers officers are now examining all the missing persons reports that Bu had handled, which number nearly 300. Jeju is one of South Korea's most popular tourist destinations.

While violent crime is rare in South Korea, suicide rates are among the highest in the world. Some experts have shared the low crime rate is part of the reason why missing persons cases are not taken seriously.

"After experiencing on the field that the absolute majority of missing adults are found quickly, [the officers] tend to assume all cases are like that," Lee Yung-hyeock, a professor specialising in police officers officers science at Konkuk University, told Yonhap news agency.

While more than 70,000 adults are reported missing in South Korea each year, 99% of them are marked as resolved within a month. Jeju, known for its sparkling waters, is a popular holiday destination in South Korea On Tuesday, President Lee shared during a Cabinet meeting that "the recent breakdown in police officers officers discipline and irresponsibility in public safety matters have become serious problems".

Pointing out that the police officers officers are likely to wield the most power out of all the state's institutions, he shared "the Korean people are questioning whether [the police officers officers deserve this large power". South Korea's national law enforcement personnel officers officers chief was grilled This scandal comes at a politically sensitive time for South Korea's law enforcement personnel officers officers.

The government had recently passed reform to transfer full investigative power from the prosecutors to the law enforcement personnel officers officers, a move they shared was intended to curtail the prosecutors' influence in politics.

However, the reform has been unpopular among the public, who have for many years accused the law enforcement personnel officers officers of corruption and incompetence. With reporting