Jeju Police Commissioner Ko Pyeong-gi issued a public apology 13 days after a formal investigation began into a police officer accused of falsely closing missing-person cases.
Speaking at the opening of a command meeting at the Jeju Police Agency on the morning of the 27th, Ko said, "I bow my head in apology to the two deceased who never made it back to their families, and to the bereaved families enduring grief beyond words."
"Not only did the police abandon their duty to protect the lives and safety of the public, but they also inflicted indelible wounds on the families through false words and actions," Ko said. "As the commissioner responsible for public safety in Jeju, I feel the weight of that responsibility."
He also pledged a thorough investigation, including a full reexamination of every missing-person case in the Jeju region. "I bow my head and offer my deep apologies to the residents of Jeju and to the public, who must have felt great disappointment and anxiety," Ko said. "We will investigate this case thoroughly so that not a single doubt remains, and we will disclose the findings without concealing anything."
He added, "We will conduct a full reinvestigation of all missing-person cases in the Jeju region to check whether other failures occurred." He also said, "We will examine the overall state of our systems, procedures and staffing for handling missing-person cases, and put in place multiple layers of safeguards so that no lapse can occur under any circumstances."
