All 118 CCTV Footage of Missing Jeju Woman Deleted...Han Donghun: "Police Requested Access Two Months Later"

Footage automatically deleted after 30 days around the disappearance
Police requested access only 96 days after report
Criticism over inadequate initial investigation reignites debate on supplementary investigation rights

As more than three months have passed without any trace of Jang Miran (37), who went missing in Jeju, the initial police response was delayed due to a false case closure. It has now been revealed that all footage from 118 closed-circuit (CC) TV cameras near the area where Jang is believed to have disappeared has been deleted. Although the footage was still available at the time of the initial missing person report, police did not attempt to secure the footage until 96 days after the report, escalating controversy. This case has not only reignited debate over the police’s initial investigation procedures, but has also intensified the controversy surrounding the abolition of supplementary investigation rights.

Ms. Jang Miran, who went missing in Jeju last May. Family of Jang Miran

According to documents submitted to Independent lawmaker Donghun Han by Jeju Special Self-Governing Province on August 24, all footage from 111 crime prevention CCTVs around Hallim-eup—where Jang lost all contact—alongside footage from 7 traffic information cameras managed by the Jeju Provincial Police Traffic Information Center, totaling 118 CCTVs, had been deleted and was no longer available as of the time she went missing.

Footage files automatically deleted after 30-day retention period ...Police requested access 96 days after the first report

The deleted footage includes recordings from May 12 to May 20, encompassing the estimated date of Jang's disappearance, May 13. The footage appears to have been deleted sequentially between June 11 and June 19. Jeju provincial authorities explain that the retention period for footage from all 118 cameras is 30 days, and the files were erased automatically as the deadline expired.

The core issue is the timing of the police request. It was found that Jeju Seobu Police Station sent an official letter to Jeju Special Self-Governing Province requesting access to the crime prevention CCTV footage on June 19, which was either 98 days after the presumed date of disappearance or 96 days after the initial report was filed on May 15. This request was made 61 days after June 19, the date when the videos' deletion was confirmed.

CCTV footage is a key initial investigative resource in missing person cases, providing a way to track movements and confirm last known whereabouts. Given the 30-day retention limit, it is critical to promptly identify relevant footage areas and request preservation immediately after receiving a report. In this incident, such timely action was not taken, meaning that tracking Jang’s movements from the key period using video has become virtually impossible.

Han Donghun: "Consequences of inadequate initial investigation fall on the victim and their family"

Assemblyman Han stated, “The CCTV footage that could have provided clues about the whereabouts of Jang Miran, who went missing in Jeju, was lost due to police prematurely closing the case. At the time of the first report on May 15, all 118 videos were preserved and could have been fully secured.”

Independent Representative Han Donghoon. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

He added, “The criminal justice system was not designed on the assumption that every investigator is competent and diligent. Because of that limitation, multiple safeguards were built in—with one key mechanism being supplementary investigation rights. The Democratic Party eliminated this safeguard without an alternative, so now there is no system to filter out inadequate initial investigations, and the cost is borne by the victims and their families.”

Following the controversy over the investigation into the Jang Yoonki case and now Jang Miran’s disappearance, concerns are once again increasing in political circles over the vacuum created by the loss of prosecutors’ supplementary investigation authority. Kang Deukgu of the Democratic Party also emphasized, “It is time to review and supplement the entire structure under which investigative agencies can independently close cases.”

"Police said they had made contact...but it turned out the case was wrongly closed"

According to Jang’s family and others on the 19th, Jang went missing after leaving her home in Hallim-eup, Jeju City, late at night on May 12 and into the early hours of May 13. She is described as having long straight hair, an estimated height of 158 cm, a slender build, and was wearing a gold bracelet at the time of her disappearance.

Earlier, Jang’s family reported to the police in mid-May that she had not returned home. Officer A, who was on night duty at the time, reported to his superior that “contact had been made with the subject of the report,” and closed the case.

However, last month, when Jang’s family once again reported her missing, stating that she was still out of contact, police resumed their investigation, considering both voluntary departure and disappearance as possibilities. To date, there have been no confirmed records of Jang using her card, making phone calls, or visiting any hospitals.

Police are now focusing on the search for Jang, while also investigating whether Officer A actually spoke with her. Officer A is also under investigation for entering the women’s restroom at the police station on July 22 (a violation of the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Crimes), and has been suspended from his position.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.