South Korea police find four bodies on Jeju island as missing persons scandal deepens - BBC News

A police sergeant has been arrested following accusations that he lied to victims' families and prematurely closed missing persons cases.

Image source, ReutersImage caption, The body of Jang Mi-ran was found at a palm tree farm 500m from her home

Four missing people have been found dead on South Korean holiday island Jeju, as local police face mounting public criticism for allegedly mishandling missing persons cases.

Reports emerged last week that authorities were launching a belated search for a woman reported missing months ago. This sparked criticism of the police for failing to search for her earlier.

The scandal has since deepened with the arrest of a police sergeant, surnamed Bu, who is accused of lying to victims' families and prematurely closing missing persons cases.

Four officers in the sergeant's chain of command have been put on administrative leave and on Tuesday President Lee Jae Myung ordered a sweeping reform of the police force.