▲ Prime Minister Han Seong-sook (Yonhap)

(ATTN: UPDATES with president's instruction in last 2 paras)

SEOUL, Aug. 24 (Yonhap) -- Prime Minister Han Seong-sook pledged Monday to exercise zero tolerance and sternly punish whoever is found to have mishandled missing person cases, following revelations that a police officer closed cases without confirming the safety of those missing.

Han made the remarks in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, stressing that nothing is more important than the lives and safety of people and promising to overhaul the missing person investigation system and close any loopholes so as to ensure fair investigations.

"We will thoroughly check if there have been unfair and unlawful acts by investigative agencies and issue stern punishment regardless of rank, based on the principle of zero tolerance," she said. "The government will pour in every possible effort to make sure missing person investigations are conducted strictly and fairly."

Earlier in the day, Han ordered the National Police Agency to look thoroughly into the handling of all missing person cases across the nation and pledged to overhaul the way police handle such cases, including separating the right to investigate cases from the right to close them.

A police officer on the southern island of Jeju has been arrested for closing a missing person case without confirming the woman's safety. The body of Jang Mi-ran, 37, was found earlier Monday, more than three months after she was initially reported missing by her family.

The officer was found to have closed another missing person case prematurely, and the man's body has been found.

The prime minister said she feels indefinite responsibility over the case.

"I pray from the bottom of my heart for the soul of the late Jang Mi-ran," she said.

President Lee Jae Myung has also called for scrutiny of the police investigation system, expressing sorrow over the case, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said.

The president instructed officials to look into why the missing person case was closed, as well as the police command system involved in the case, while ordering the police to come up with internal reform measures, Kang said.

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