South Korean Prime Minister Han Seong-sook on Monday, 24 August pledged zero tolerance against mishandling of missing person cases, following the discovery of the body of Jang Mi-ran, 37, on Jeju island — more than three months after her family first reported her missing. A police officer who prematurely closed her case without confirming her safety has been arrested.

What the Prime Minister Said

Han made the pledge in a post on X (formerly Twitter), stressing that nothing is more important than the lives and safety of citizens. “We will thoroughly check if there have been unfair and unlawful acts by investigative agencies and issue stern punishment regardless of rank, based on the principle of zero tolerance,” she wrote. “The government will pour in every possible effort to make sure missing person investigations are conducted strictly and fairly.”

Han also expressed personal anguish over the case. “I pray from the bottom of my heart for the soul of the late Jang Mi-ran,” she said, adding that she feels “indefinite responsibility” over the tragedy.

Key Developments in the Jeju Case

The police officer stationed in Jeju was found to have closed Jang Mi-ran’s case without verifying her whereabouts. Her body was recovered on Monday, over three months after the initial missing person report. The same officer had also prematurely closed a separate missing person case; the man in that case was subsequently found dead as well, making this at least the second such failure attributed to the officer.

Government Response and Systemic Overhaul

Earlier on Monday, Han ordered the National Police Agency (NPA) to conduct a nationwide review of all missing person cases. A key structural reform proposed is the separation of the authority to investigate cases from the authority to close them — a change aimed at eliminating the kind of unchecked discretion that allegedly allowed the Jeju officer to act without oversight.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung also weighed in, expressing sorrow and directing officials to examine why the case was closed and to scrutinise the police command system involved. Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said the president has ordered the police to develop concrete internal reform measures.

NPA Audit Underway

The NPA has launched a formal audit into the handling of the Jeju missing person case, with inspectors expected to determine whether the officer in charge followed mandatory reporting procedures before closing the file and whether appropriate supervision was exercised by superiors. The audit covers the full chain of command and supervision linked to the case.

This comes amid growing public concern in South Korea over accountability gaps within the police investigation system. The government’s response — spanning an arrested officer, a presidential directive, a prime ministerial pledge, and a national audit — signals that the political fallout from the case is being treated as a systemic crisis, not an isolated incident.