Police book two senior officers over the handling of Gwangju murder case
The chief of the Gwangsan Police Station and the former head of its criminal investigation division face charges of abuse of authority.
Jang Yun-gi, who is accused of fatally stabbing a high school girl he did not know in downtown Gwangju on Children's Day, May 5, leaves the Gwangju Seobu Police Station for transfer to prosecutors on May 14.
NEWS1
A special police team investigating the police for potential evidence tampering and investigation manipulation in the murder of a Gwangju high school student has booked two senior officers who oversaw the case, it said Tuesday.
The chief of the Gwangsan Police Station and the head of its criminal investigation division at the time were booked on charges of abuse of authority. The bookings followed a similar move by prosecutors, who had already opened cases against the same two officers.
The two, along with the lead investigator on the case, were involved at every stage, from the suspect's arrest to his detention and referral to prosecutors. The police are understood to have found signs that they exerted improper influence over decisions in the investigation.
Investigators are examining whether the officers knew about, but failed to secure, cable ties that could have been used as restraints and a damaged sex doll, both of which bear on whether the killing was sexually motivated. They are also looking at whether the officers intervened to have the suspect charged with ordinary murder rather than murder in connection with rape, a far graver offense.
The police also found that the lead investigator had swayed how his own team handled the case, and they brought an additional abuse-of-authority charge against him. He is already detained on suspicion of destroying evidence, and the police plan to refer him to prosecutors as early as Wednesday, or Thursday at the latest.
Prosecutors are pressing their own investigation of the command chain. On Friday, they searched the Gwangsan Police Station again and booked the two senior officers on suspicion of aiding the destruction of evidence.
They had summoned the criminal investigation chief for questioning on Monday, and once the lead investigator is handed over, they plan to pursue the charges using the material the police provide.
Together, the police and prosecutors have raided the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency, the Gwangsan Police Station and other sites and have questioned a series of people connected to the case, including the suspect's father, a serving police officer, as they investigate the suspected destruction of evidence and collusion.
Jang Yun-gi was indicted and detained on May 14 over the fatal stabbing of a high school student, a stranger to him, in Gwangju's Gwangsan District on May 5. Suspicions of tampering with the initial investigation and destroyed evidence, focusing on the decision to pursue an ordinary murder charge and on how evidence was gathered, later widened the police and prosecution inquiries.
BY PARK JONG-SUH [[email protected]]
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
