Brickbat: Missing in Action

A South Korean police officer admitted that he closed missing-person cases without properly investigating them because he wanted to avoid doing the work. The officer, whom officials identified only by the surname Bu, falsely told families that missing people were safe and didn’t want to be contacted, and he entered false information into police records. After growing public criticism, authorities began re-investigating missing-person cases on Jeju Island, where Bu was stationed, and they have so far found four bodies, including two people whose cases Bu had closed without properly checking on them. The scandal has led to a broader review of the cases Bu handled and renewed criticism of South Korea’s police system.