"Give me money today, or I'll just drop all the charges"... Jeju missing persons case: investigation closure rights traded for bribes [PD Notebook]

*This content was translated by AI.

The September 1 broadcast of MBC's "PD Notebook" reveals a wavering police force.

On August 24, a woman was found dead in Jeju three months after she went missing. It was Jang Mi-ran, whose disappearance report had been filed in May. At the time of the initial report, the handling officer stated, "We have contacted the missing person, and they do not wish to disclose their whereabouts," closing the case just two hours and 30 minutes after the report was filed.

However, when the investigation resumed two months later following a re-report by the family, an unexpected fact emerged: there had never been any phone call between the handling officer and Ms. Jang. As four missing persons were found dead in succession over three days starting from the 22nd in Jeju, a comprehensive review of the missing person cases arbitrarily closed by that investigator began. With just 31 days remaining until October 2, when amendments to the Criminal Procedure Act will abolish direct investigations by the Prosecution Service and transfer general investigations entirely to the police, "PD Notebook" conducted an intensive investigation into the current state of police investigations amidst growing public anxiety and distrust.

◆ Victims become perpetrators... The stigma of being a "dating violence abuser" and eight months of unjust imprisonment

The case of Jang Yun-ki, a high school student murderer who became controversial for allegedly hiding evidence of his father's crimes as an active-duty police officer. According to "PD Notebook"'s investigation, the controversy over distortion in the investigation by Gwangju Gwangsan Police Station, which handled this case, is not the first time such issues have arisen. In 2018, Son Sol-bin was arrested on charges of imprisoning and assaulting her girlfriend and was reported as the suspect in "Gwangju's No. 1 dating violence case." However, the reality was the opposite: Ms. Son had been subjected to continuous verbal abuse and physical assault by her girlfriend. Was it because her girlfriend's father was a former police station chief?

Ms. Son pleaded for access to on-site CCTV footage that would prove her innocence, but the police ignored this and continued with abusive language and coercive interrogations. In fact, the investigation report even distorted footage of Ms. Son pushing someone away to avoid her girlfriend's assault into a scene where she pushed the other person down. Although the court later ruled that the core allegations against Ms. Son were not guilty, she had already served eight months of unjust imprisonment. Despite clear evidence of investigative errors confirmed through investigations by the National Human Rights Commission and internal inquiries within the National Police Agency, no official apology was issued by the relevant police officers. This report sheds light on the voice of a victim who has been trapped in suffering for eight years.

◆ "Give me money today, or I'll just drop all the charges"... Investigation closure rights traded for bribes

Following the 2021 adjustment of investigation authority between prosecutors and police, the number of cases closed by the police on their own increased significantly. "PD Notebook" traced how the power to close investigations granted to individual police officers is being abused. A police officer affiliated with Uijeongbu Police Station was sentenced to six years in prison and fined approximately 250 million won for accepting bribes worth hundreds of millions of won from loan fraud broker Kim OO and suppressing the investigation.

"Mr. Kim OO (broker) is making a deal with arrest, while I am risking dismissal," "Please transfer the money. Invest in me with confidence." The police officer explicitly demanded property. In fact, he even recommended disguised residence registration to broker Mr. Kim, pulling in reported cases from across the country under his jurisdiction and issuing decisions to "suspend investigations." Victims who had been stuck in place for years could not possibly know the reason behind this. Victim Cha Cheol-ho, who believed the handling officer was a "good person" until "PD Notebook" contacted him for the investigation, is still repaying a debt of 620 million won with his body in poor condition.

◆ Inspector sent to investigate misconduct... "Demoted"... Pleas from veteran investigators with 30 years of experience

A group of internal audit officers tasked with monitoring police corruption caused a commotion when they were caught drunk and causing a disturbance at a convenience store late at night. Upon learning of the misconduct, detectives and the investigation division chief immediately began to ascertain the facts by reviewing CCTV footage and securing victim statements. However, what awaited them was an order transferring them to patrol duties at a local police station just two days after the incident was reported. Subsequently, they were even disciplined with suspension for violating investigation procedures and undermining internal cohesion. This situation has sparked suspicions of "retaliatory personnel decisions" and "protecting one's own family" for not covering up the misconduct of fellow police officers. Veteran investigators who had walked a single path in investigations for 30 years but were demoted overnight expressed their indignation, asking, "How can an organization incapable of self-correction exercise such immense investigative power fairly?"

Experts warn that the limitations of relying solely on the police's voluntary goodwill or internal disciplinary measures are clearly evident. To transparently check the expanded use of public authority, it is necessary to quickly institutionalize the establishment of a "strong independent external control body" with effective power, similar to the UK's Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

What direction should our police force take to prevent abuse of investigative powers and restore broken trust?

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.