Soojung Lee Raises Doubts about Jang Miran's Cause of Death: "A Young Woman Hanging Herself from a Palm Tree at Night? That's Laughable"

Jang Miran's Death Presumed to Be by Hanging

"Do Not Hastily Dismiss the Possibility of a Crime Victim"

Soojung Lee, Professor of Criminal Psychology at Kyonggi University, has expressed doubts about the police's presumption that the cause of death for Jang Miran, who had gone missing for an extended period in Jeju, was suicide by hanging.

Soojung Lee: "The Real Issue Is Whether There Are Signs of Homicide"

Soojung Lee, Professor of Criminal Psychology at Kyonggi University. Photo by Younghan Heo younghan@

On August 25, Professor Lee shared a news article on her Facebook account, which mentioned that Acting Commissioner General Yoo Jaesung of the National Police Agency stated he had received a report from the head of Jeju Police Agency that the cause of death for Jang was presumed to be hanging.

Professor Lee, commenting on the article, remarked, "A young woman goes out at night and hangs herself from a palm tree? That's laughable." In another post, she stressed, "What matters is whether there are any signs of homicide," and warned against hastily claiming that there is no possibility she was a victim of a crime.

Previously, on August 24 at 10:46 a.m., the police announced the discovery of a body in a palm tree grove in Hallim-eup, Jeju City. An autopsy confirmed that the remains belonged to Jang. The police explained, "The fingerprints had deteriorated," but stated, "A preliminary oral opinion from the dental examiner confirmed a match with the missing person." They added, "We have also collected DNA samples and are currently conducting an urgent analysis."

The police are presuming suicide by hanging based on the body's position and location at the time it was discovered. However, they are keeping all possibilities open and are conducting a forensic investigation of Jang's mobile phone, among other inquiries, to clarify the exact cause of death.

Body of Missing Jeju Woman Jang Miran Found After 104 Days

On the 24th, the body of Jang Miran, who had gone missing several months ago, was found in Hallim-eup, Jeju City. The police are controlling access to the palm tree farm in Suwon-ri where the body was discovered. Yonhap News

Meanwhile, the last known sighting of Jang was at 10:15 p.m. on May 12, when CCTV footage captured her leaving the accommodation where she had been staying long term. On May 15 at 6:43 p.m., an officer identified as A from Jeju Seobu Police Station received a missing person report from Jang's partner. However, Officer A falsely said that they had been in contact with Jang and that she requested her whereabouts not be disclosed, and then closed the case at 9:16 p.m. that evening.

Jang's partner attempted to file a second report on July 17, but was unable to do so due to the previous record left by Officer A. Later, Jang's family filed another report at Nowon Police Station in Seoul on July 19, prompting authorities to resume the search.

Ultimately, 104 days after the initial missing person report, on August 24 at 10:46 a.m., a joint search team discovered a body presumed to be Jang's at a palm tree farm in Hallim-eup, Jeju City.

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