Get you up to speed: Missing people are turning up dead on a misty honeymoon island | News World
The body of missing woman Jang Mi-ran was discovered at a palm tree farm in Jeju Island, South Korea, on August 24, 2026. The investigation follows concerns over a police officer’s handling of her case, which was prematurely closed without confirming her safety.
Authorities are reviewing nearly 300 missing persons cases, with ten under examination for potential improper closure. The police confirmed they will conduct a forensic reconstruction of the scene to determine if there was any third-party involvement in the circumstances surrounding the recent deaths.
The South Korean police have launched a review of nearly 300 missing persons cases, with a focus on ten cases suspected of having been improperly closed. Local tourism has been affected, with reports of cancellations as potential safety concerns and unfounded serial killer claims circulate online.
What remains unclear — Authorities have not disclosed how many missing persons cases are currently unresolved on Jeju Island.
Bodies of missing persons found in Jeju Island amid police investigation
Police officers inspect the scene where the body of missing person Jang Mi-ran was discovered at a palm tree farm in Jeju island.(Picture: Reuters)
Jeju Island is South Korea’s idyllic honeymoon destination.
Its dramatic volcanic landscapes, maze-like cave systems and stunning waterfalls offer so much for lovers to explore – but then the bodies started appearing.
In just three days, four people who had been reported missing on Jeju turned up dead, police said.
Authorities have not linked the deaths or found evidence of widespread foul play.
But the discoveries followed revelations that one police officer allegedly faked speaking to the missing person and prematurely closed their case.
Hundreds of people have vanished on the island, prompting questions about how many bodies are out there.
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The palm tree farm where the presumed body of a missing woman, Jang Mi-ran, was found (Picture: EPA)
Jang Mi-ran’s boyfriend reported the 37-year-old missing after she vanished from Jeju City, early on May 13.
He was allegedly told by a police detective named Bu that she had told him she was leaving and didn’t want to see him anymore.
The case was quickly closed amid an attitude that no real crimes happen on the 700sq mile rocky island.
But investigators found no phone records supporting his claim that the officer had spoken to her – and nearby CCTV had been reportedly deleted.
The officer reported to the police emergency call center that Jang had refused to meet him and requested her location not be disclosed to the person who reported her missing.
More than 100 days passed, her weary parents launched another missing persons probe and Jang was found hanging from a palm tree less than a 10-minute walk from where she was last seen.
Officers told her family that she had killed herself based on the position and location of the body, but her boyfriend remains sceptical.
Jang’s boyfriend told local TV station Chosun he could not make sense of the discovery. ‘She said she found that place frightening whenever she passed by, so I can’t understand why she was found there,’ he said.
A Jeju local said the farm was densely planted with Canary Island date palms, which are covered in sharp, hard spines.
‘Even for a man, it would be nearly impossible to hang a rope from one of those trees – they don’t have branches like ordinary trees, and you’d get stabbed just getting close,’ they added.
Investigators found no phone records supporting Bu’s claim that he had spoken with Jang before closing her case, while nearby surveillance footage had already been deleted.
Police also allege Bu similarly closed the case of a man in his 60s, who was later found dead.
South Korean police received 70,814 reports of missing adults last year
(Picture: EPA)
The same day Jang’s remains were discovered, another person previously reported missing was discovered dead near a valley in Aewol-eup.
The following day, a fisherman spotted the body of a man in his 70s floating in the waves loved by surfers.
Bu, whose full identity has not been released, was perp-walked to a court hearing where Jang’s family attacked him on live television.
He has denied any wrongdoing and insists he did contact the missing people.
But nearly 300 missing persons cases are to be reviewed with ten being examined for possible improper closure.
A policeman takes part in a search operation of a missing person (Picture: Reuters)
Whether the case truly involved no crime, as the police currently believe, but have said they will forensically reconstruct the scene to assess if there had been any third party involvement.
The suspected botched investigations and lack of official explanations has created a feeling of mystery over the volcanic island.
Now people are cancelling their trips to Jeju after unfounded claims a serial killer could be on the loose with online sleuths drawing up maps where the bodies are being found.
A recent Instagram post by Hong Hye-geol, a television personality who has lived on the island for seven years, read, ‘When I cycle around Jeju, I often come across deserted roads in villages without even venturing deep into Hallasan.
‘Stray just a little from a trail, and you can find yourself somewhere no one would hear you scream.
‘I wouldn’t recommend either women or men going around here alone, even in broad daylight or on paved roads.’
Surfers ride waves off a beach in the popular Jeju Island but others are cancelling trips (Picture: EPA)
Jeju, one of South Korea’s most popular tourist destinations, drew 1.2 million foreign visitors in the first half of 2026, according to the Jeju Tourism Association.
More than 70,000 such reports have been filed annually since 2022, though the vast majority were solved within 30 days, police say.
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