Acting police chief pledges reforms and more investigators after Jeju case

In Seoul, acting police chief Kim Jong-chul announced renewed commitment to investigative reform, citing the need to increase the pool of investigators and consider technological aids such as artificial intelligence or employing retired officers for repetitive duties. The statement responded to public outrage over a Jeju missing-person case in which a police officer prematurely closed the file, only for the woman's body to be discovered months later.

Following a recent amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act that transfers all investigative powers from prosecutors to police, the agency launched a dedicated reform body and is re-examining roughly 310,000 missing-person files from the past three years; 128,000 have been reviewed so far, with a target to complete the review by November. Kim also acknowledged systemic faults and leadership responsibility, while Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok has called for stronger reforms. The police have not yet identified any fraudulently closed cases in their audit.