Jang Donghyuk Visits Jeju Missing Person Case Site: "Do Not Conclude Suicide, Reinvestigate from Scratch"

Jang: "Urgent Measures Needed on Abolishing Supplementary Investigative Rights"

Jang Donghyuk, Representative of the People Power Party, visited the scene where the victim in the Jeju false closure of missing person report case was found, urging the police "not to conclude it as suicide and to reinvestigate from scratch to ensure that not a single suspicion remains."

On the 28th, after inspecting the palm tree field in Hallim-eup, Jeju City, where the victim of the false closure case was discovered, Representative Jang stated, "At the time of discovery, the victim's feet were touching the ground, and considering both the height of the palm tree and the condition of its branches, there are several reasonable grounds for suspicion." He criticized the police's attitude by saying, "The police say that all possibilities are being considered, but in reality, they are hastily concluding that it was a suicide. This is negligent."

Jang Donghyuk, leader of the People Power Party, and others visited a palm tree farm in Hallim-eup, Jeju City, on the 28th. They answered questions from the press after inspecting the site. Photo by Yonhap News.

He also raised concerns regarding the police's decision to close the case based on a false report that the victim had been contacted while authorities were checking the cell phone base station location and conducting searches. Jang argued, "Had the searches continued, it might have been possible to rule out the possibility of a crime or prevent the death. But with the case now falsely closed, it has become even more difficult to determine the cause of death."

While Representative Park Joon-tae of the People Power Party was inspecting the scene and touched the palm tree branch where the victim was found, part of it broke off. Jang said, "Given that the palm tree is not very tall, the branches are weak, and the victim's feet were touching the ground at the time of discovery, there is ample reason to be suspicious." He further emphasized, "We should not simply accept the answer that such a case could occur."

Jang also addressed the 298 missing person cases handled by the police officer in question, stating that "a comprehensive review and a full re-investigation are necessary, not just formal procedures." He warned, "If further issues arise after these investigations, the police will find it difficult to regain public trust."

He also brought up the issue of abolishing supplementary investigation rights by the prosecution. Jang pointed out, "Most cases that were re-examined through supplementary investigations in the past had reasonable suspicions initially, but were almost buried after being ignored." He added, "Given that the police are already burdened with too many cases and too few personnel, taking on all prosecutorial cases as well would ultimately only harm the public."

Jang stressed, "The government must first prepare a comprehensive set of measures related to supplementary investigative rights and announce them to the public." He added, "The National Assembly should urgently begin discussions between the ruling and opposition parties, and if necessary, the People Power Party will take the initiative to propose talks."

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