Four people who had been reported missing on South Korea's Jeju Island were found dead in just three days, police said. The discoveries have prompted a review of nearly 300 missing persons cases, with ten being examined for possible improper closure.
Authorities have not linked the deaths or found evidence of widespread foul play. But the findings followed revelations that one police officer allegedly faked speaking to a missing person and prematurely closed their case.
Officer accused of closing case without contact
Jang Mi-ran's boyfriend reported the 37-year-old missing after she vanished from Jeju City early on May 13. He was allegedly told by a police detective named Bu that she had said she was leaving and didn't want to see him anymore. The case was quickly closed amid an attitude that no real crimes happen on the 700sqm island.
But investigators found no phone records supporting the officer's claim that he had spoken to her, and nearby CCTV had been reportedly deleted. The officer reported to the police emergency call center that Jang had refused to meet him and requested her location not be disclosed to the person who reported her missing.
More than 100 days passed, her parents launched another missing persons probe, and Jang was found hanging from a palm tree less than a 10-minute walk from where she was last seen. Officers told her family that she had killed herself based on the position and location of the body, but her boyfriend remains skeptical.
Doubts over suicide finding
Jang's boyfriend told local TV station Chosun he could not make sense of the discovery. 'She said she found that place frightening whenever she passed by, so I can't understand why she was found there,' he said.
A Jeju local said the farm was densely planted with Canary Island date palms, which are covered in sharp, hard spines. 'Even for a man, it would be nearly impossible to hang a rope from one of those trees – they don't have branches like ordinary trees, and you'd get stabbed just getting close,' they added.
Police also allege Bu similarly closed the case of a man in his 60s, who was later found dead. The same day Jang's remains were discovered, another person previously reported missing was found dead near a valley in Aewol-eup. The following day, a fisherman spotted the body of a man in his 70s floating in the waves.
Tourists cancel trips amid speculation
Bu, whose full identity has not been released, was perp-walked to a court hearing where Jang's family attacked him on live television. He has denied any wrongdoing and insists he did contact the missing people.
Police have said they will forensically reconstruct the scene to assess if there had been any third party involvement. The suspected botched investigations and lack of official explanations have created a feeling of mystery over the volcanic island.
Now people are cancelling trips to Jeju after unfounded claims a serial killer could be on the loose, with online sleuths drawing up maps where the bodies are being found. A recent Instagram post by Hong Hye-geol, a television personality who has lived on the island for seven years, read, 'When I cycle around Jeju, I often come across deserted roads in villages without even venturing deep into Hallasan. Stray just a little from a trail, and you can find yourself somewhere no one would hear you scream. I wouldn't recommend either women or men going around here alone, even in broad daylight or on paved roads.'
Jeju, one of South Korea's most popular tourist destinations, drew 1.2 million foreign visitors in the first half of 2026, according to the Jeju Tourism Association. More than 70,000 such reports have been filed annually since 2022, though the vast majority were solved within 30 days, police say.
