Police officer faces detention over alleged evidence destruction in Gwangju murder case
An inspector appeared at a hearing for a warrant to take him into custody over allegations he destroyed evidence in the fatal stabbing of a high schooler.
A police inspector accused of destroying evidence in the Jang Yun-gi case arrives at the Gwangju District Court for a pretrial detention hearing on July 8.YONHAP
A police officer accused of destroying key evidence in the murder of a Gwangju high school student appeared for a pretrial detention hearing on Wednesday, amid growing scrutiny over the police's handling of the case.
The officer, who is a senior inspector at the Gwangju Gwangsan Police Station, entered the Gwangju District Court without responding to questions about whether he admits to destroying evidence in the Jang Yun-gi case or if there was anything to say to the victim's family.
The court is expected to decide whether to issue a warrant to detain the inspector the same day.
Jang was indicted and remains in custody on charges of murdering a high school student on a road in Wolgye-dong of Gwangsan District, Gwangju, on May 5.
The inspector is accused of destroying key evidence in the case, including cable ties that prosecutors believe could have been used to restrain a victim.
Prosecutors allege that shortly after the crime, the inspector discovered a bundle of cable ties inside Jang's vehicle during a search but failed to collect them as evidence.
The inspector is also accused of leaving the vehicle at the scene after collecting the victim's bloodstains and Jang's fingerprints instead of seizing it as evidence. Prosecutors said the vehicle continued to be driven by Jang's father, a fellow police officer, after the killing.
The inspector and the investigation team are also accused of failing to seize a damaged sex doll discovered at Jang's residence. The doll was later discarded by Jang's father after the investigation team provided him with the address of the residence and the digital lock's code, according to prosecutors.
A police officer accused of destroying evidence in a murder case enters a transport vehicle after a pretrial detention hearing on July 8.YONHAP
The Korean National Police Agency's National Office of Investigation, which is examining whether the murder investigation was mishandled, relieved the inspector of duty. Six other officers, including the chief of the Gwangju Gwangsan Police Station, the head of its criminal investigations division and four detectives assigned to the violent crimes unit, were placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the probe.
Prosecutors have also launched a criminal investigation into the officers involved in the case. The Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office booked the inspector without detention on suspicion of leaking official secrets, destroying evidence and instructing others to destroy evidence.
Prosecutors also searched the office of the Gwangju Gwangsan Police Station chief, who oversaw the investigation, as well as the office of the women and juveniles division, which had investigated a previous allegation of a sex crime by Jang against a former part-time coworker.
Cable ties are seen in the passenger-side storage area of Jang Yun-gi's vehicle.YONHAP
During a search of Jang's father's home, prosecutors recovered the cable ties.
Jang's father reportedly told investigators that he "didn't think much of it" and "didn't know they were important" when asked why he had taken them.
While the detention hearing was underway, the victim's family and civic groups held a news conference outside the Gwangju Police Agency to condemn what they described as a botched police investigation.
"The police were not investigators cracking down on crime but accomplices who handled the case poorly, acting as one with the perpetrator and systematically covering up the truth," they said.
"We condemn the police authorities for trying to conceal the truth, and those who protected the murderer Jang Yun-gi must be held legally accountable."
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.
