South Korea to re-examine 310,000 missing person cases after fake record scandal

Renewed scrutiny comes after police officer accused of falsifying records in order to close the cases of people who were later found dead South Korean police will re-examine about 310,000 missing persons cases closed over the past three years, prompted by a scandal in which an officer was arrested on suspicion of falsifying records to close files on two people who were later found dead. The case has drawn national attention, with President Lee Jae Myung ordering an investigation into the police handling of it and telling the force to draw up a reform plan. The interior minister, Yun Hojung, apologised to the public on Wednesday, saying the case had exposed a structural flaw in the way police handle missing persons. The scandal has renewed scrutiny of how South Korea handles missing adults. More than 70,000 were reported missing last year , with 99.7% of cases closed without a full-scale search.

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