Jeju Missing Person Case: Police Officer Arrested for False Closure Released After Emergency Arrest Ruled Invalid (Comprehensive)

Police officer involved in false closure of missing person case heading to arrest legality review [Jeju=Yonhap News] 

A court ordered the release of an active-duty Jeju police officer on the 24th, who had been placed under emergency arrest for falsely closing a missing person case under his charge.

The Jeju District Court granted the petition for a review of the legality of the arrest filed by Police Officer A, following the conclusion of the hearing held earlier that day.

The court stated that, based on the hearing, "The arrest is judged to be unlawful as it failed to meet the requirement of 'urgency,' which is a prerequisite for an emergency arrest under the Criminal Procedure Act."

An emergency arrest is permitted in cases where there is no time to obtain an arrest warrant, such as when a suspect is unexpectedly discovered. The court explained that in Officer A's case, his whereabouts were known, and therefore, it could not be concluded that there was no time to secure an arrest warrant.

Consequently, Officer A, who was being held in a detention center at the Jeju Dongbu Police Station, will be released immediately.

Police officer in Jeju missing person case remains silent on charges... Arrest legality review held today [Provided by Yonhap News TV]

Officer A filed for the arrest legality review on the 23rd, the day after his emergency arrest.

An arrest legality review is a legal mechanism that allows individuals to request a court to review their release if they believe the law enforcement agency's arrest was unjustified.

The specific reasons for Officer A’s petition for the review have not been disclosed.

However, as it was reported that a lawyer hired by Officer A attended the review hearing, it is interpreted as an attempt by the officer to mount a legal challenge against his arrest.

A prosecutor from the Jeju District Prosecutors' Office also attended the hearing.

Officer A, who had been detained at the Jeju Dongbu Police Station, boarded a transport vehicle bound for the court at around 10 a.m. that day.

Dressed in a blue top and black pants with his hands tied by a restraint rope, Officer A kept his head down and remained silent when asked by reporters if he "admitted to the charges," "what the reason for the review petition was," or if he "had anything to say to the bereaved families."

Jang Mi-ran, who went missing in Jeju [Provided by the family of Jang Mi-ran]

Officer A is accused of lying to the reporter of a missing person case in May, claiming he had "made contact" with Jang Mi-ran (37), unilaterally closing the case, and deleting Jang's records from the missing person profiling system.

He is also accused of falsely closing another missing person case, involving an individual identified as 'B', using a similar method on the 2nd of last month.

Following the discovery of the body of 'B' at a location in Jeju on the 22nd, police recovered a body believed to be that of Jang in Hallim-eup, Jeju City, this morning.