Police officers who handled the case of Jang Yun-gi, 23, the murderer of a female high school student, from its early stages have been removed from their duties. As successive findings in the prosecution's investigation revealed that police destroyed key evidence or conducted a poor investigation in the Jang Yun-gi case, the credibility of the police organization itself has been shaken, prompting the National Police Agency to take strong measures.
According to the Gwangju Gwangsan Police Station on Sunday, police removed one investigation team from the criminal affairs division that handled the Jang Yun-gi case from their duties the previous day. Those subject to the measure include the investigation team leader, a senior inspector identified as A, for whom an arrest warrant was sought on the morning of that day on charges of destroying evidence, along with four team members. The team leader's vacancy will be filled by the criminal affairs division support team leader in an acting capacity.
Inspector A is suspected of failing to secure and destroying key evidence, including cable ties and a real doll, during the search and seizure of Jang Yun-gi's sport utility vehicle (SUV) on May 5, shortly after the incident occurred. At the time, the investigation team was found to have discovered cable ties inside the vehicle before the forensic team arrived, but did not collect or seize them as evidence.
The National Police Agency's "Special Investigation Team for Uncovering the Truth Related to the Gwangju Gwangsan Police Station Murder Case," led by Hong Jang-deuk, the National Police Agency's investigation and human rights officer, which traveled to Gwangju that day, sought an arrest warrant for Inspector A while also investigating suspicions of collusion between Jang Yun-gi's father, an active police officer and inspector surnamed Jang, and the investigation team handling the case.
While police have stated they will handle the matter strictly and are taking various measures, the prevailing opinion is that it is already too late. The fact that Jang Yun-gi's father is a police officer could also negatively affect public sentiment, especially as circumstances emerged suggesting that Inspector Jang destroyed evidence for his son. In addition, not only did police fail to forward key evidence they had secured to the prosecution, but the prosecution, which took over the case, has moved to secure new decisive evidence one after another and submit it as trial evidence, raising questions about the police's investigative competence.
"If the facts are not thoroughly established through this internal inspection, it is clear that public trust in the police will be severely damaged," said a high-ranking police officer working in Seoul. "The prosecution is already finding evidence one after another, and police were involved in destroying evidence. Even if it's late, if we don't want to be branded with the stigma of protecting our own, we should at least conduct the after-the-fact inspection properly to take a little less flak," the officer said with a sigh.
