Jeju: The chief of the Jeju Provincial Police Agency issued a public apology Thursday for the police's mishandling of missing person cases, which recently came to light following the deaths of two individuals on the southern resort island.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the apology came from Ko Pyeong-ki, who expressed his remorse during a command meeting at the agency. "I sincerely apologize to the two individuals who were unable to reunite with their families and to their bereaved families," he stated, acknowledging his responsibility as the police chief in charge of public safety on Jeju.

The apology was prompted by the booking of a police officer 13 days ago on suspicion of prematurely closing the case of 37-year-old Jang Mi-ran, who was found dead on Monday, more than three months after she was first reported missing. The officer is also suspected of mishandling the case of a man in his 60s, who was found dead on Saturday.

During the meeting, Ko pledged to conduct a thorough investigation into the cases to resolve any unresolved suspicions and to fully disclose the findings. He also promised a comprehensive reinvestigation of all missing person cases on Jeju, along with the establishment of multi-layered safeguards to prevent similar issues in the future.