Police conduct reenactment as doubts grow over Jang Mi-ran's hanging death

Police investigating the death of a woman in her 30s identified as Jang in Jeju have conducted a reenactment experiment at the scene, as doubts spread over whether she could have hanged herself from a slender palm tree.

According to the Jeju Provincial Police Agency on Saturday, investigators carried out the experiment Thursday at a palm farm in Hallim-eup, Jeju, where Jang's body was found. The reenactment was based on the position in which the body was discovered and autopsy results, and aimed to determine the circumstances of her death.

Police had already conducted a strength test at the scene during the initial forensic examination. The latest experiment was more detailed, incorporating Jang's physical measurements — 158 centimeters tall and 44 kilograms. Based on the results, police said they see no signs of foul play.

The autopsy report from the National Forensic Service found no unusual fractures but identified a fracture in the hyoid bone — the small U-shaped bone in the throat. The agency said the hyoid, an extremely thin bone, had separated at its center.

Suspicions surrounding the case have not subsided. Critics have pointed to the species of palm tree where the body was found — a Canary Island date palm, known for its dense spines that make it difficult to approach and its inability to support heavy loads — as grounds for raising the possibility of homicide. Police said they conducted the reenactment to address those concerns.

Police said they plan to pursue the investigation from multiple angles given the range of allegations that have been raised.

Meanwhile, a police corporal suspected of falsely closing the missing-persons report recently admitted to part of the charges, acknowledging that he never actually contacted Jang or the other missing person — a man in his 60s — as required. Police plan to investigate the corporal's motive and determine whether there are additional cases of false closures, while also conducting a forensic analysis of Jang's mobile phone to trace her movements and circumstances before and after her death.