Ko Pyeong-gi, commissioner of the Jeju Provincial Police Agency, said the motive of an officer suspected of falsely closing a missing-person case was "simply beyond understanding," and pledged a thorough investigation. He flatly denied allegations that the agency had tried to cover up the case, calling them "entirely untrue."
Speaking to reporters covering the agency on the 27th, Ko said of the reason a police sergeant surnamed Bu falsely closed the case: "There was no performance credit at stake and no award to be won, so I cannot understand why he closed the case falsely." He added, "We are now concentrating on establishing the motive."
Asked about criticism that the switch to a public investigation came too late, Ko said, "Up until the first media report on the 18th, Sergeant Bu was still claiming that he had been in contact with the missing person by phone." He said, "Under the circumstances at the time, it was difficult to conclude immediately that the claim was false." He added that there were limits to what police could do, noting that "in missing-person cases involving adults, location tracking and missing-person text alerts are in principle not permitted."
Ko said he was first briefed on the case on the 11th of this month. "I was first briefed when the pre-charge investigation into Sergeant Bu began," he said. "One of the key criteria in deciding whether to report a case to the commissioner is the level of risk, and when the initial report was filed on May 15, no particular risk was detected."
He also strongly denied suggestions in some quarters that the agency had sought to downplay or conceal the case ahead of police promotion decisions. "Absolutely not. What does this have to do with promotions?" Ko said. "This is not the kind of case that could be hidden even if we tried. I hope no one harbors that misunderstanding."
Earlier in the day, at a morning meeting of the agency's senior officers, Ko issued a formal apology over the case. "I bow my head in apology to the two deceased who never made it back to their families, and to the bereaved relatives who must be enduring grief beyond words," he said, bowing.
