Missing Jeju woman's cousin filed second report in Seoul — officer's dismissive remarks spark outcry

The cousin of Jang Mi-ran, 37, who went missing in Jeju in May, filed a second missing-persons report at the Seoul Nowon Police Station, it has been confirmed.

The Nowon station said in a press notice Monday that the cousin visited the station and completed the filing process in about 26 minutes.

According to police, Jang's cousin arrived at the Nowon station at 3:50 p.m. on July 19. Officers accepted the case at 4:16 p.m. and transferred it to the jurisdictionally responsible Jeju West Police Station at 5:03 p.m. The cousin had gone to the station near her home to file the additional report after Jang's whereabouts remained unknown for two months following the initial report.

The visit also sparked controversy over what the family described as dismissive conduct by the officer on duty. The officer reportedly asked whether Jang — a grown adult — had simply run away from home, and questioned why the cousin had come to report a missing person who was not an immediate family member.

The same officer also reportedly told the cousin that the fact Jang had not yet been found was "actually good news," adding that if something bad had happened, she would have been found by now.

The Nowon station said in response that during the consultation, the officer verified whether a prior report existed and reconfirmed the intent to file by calling Jang's direct family members.

Meanwhile, police discovered a body believed to be Jang's Monday at around 10:46 a.m. in a palm grove in Hallim-eup, Jeju, 104 days after she was reported missing. Investigators also found that Officer A, who handled the initial report in May, had falsely closed the case roughly two and a half hours after filing it on the grounds that contact had been made with Jang — and had deleted records registered in the missing-persons profiling system.