Prosecutors have launched a compulsory investigation to examine signs of a botched inquiry after evidence tampering was confirmed within the police team that investigated the murder of a female high school student in Gwangju.
The Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office said Wednesday that it had conducted search-and-seizure operations at the Gwangju Gwangsan Police Station, which handled the Jang Yun-gi case, and at the residences of key suspects.
Officers from the Gwangsan Police Station are accused of failing to secure major pieces of evidence — including cable ties, a sex doll, and a vehicle (SUV) — during the investigation after making an emergency arrest of Jang Yun-gi on May 5, and of leaking key investigative details to Jang's father, an active-duty police officer.
Inspector A, the head of the detective team at the Gwangju Gwangsan Police Station that handled the Jang Yun-gi case, was arrested the previous day. Inspector A is suspected of destroying key evidence, including cable ties used as restraints, during the search of Jang Yun-gi's SUV. The prosecutors' supplementary investigation also revealed that Jang's father, an active-duty police officer, had disposed of the sex doll.
In response, the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency formed a 22-member dedicated investigation team, headed by its chief of investigation, to look into the various allegations surrounding Jang's father.
Considering the gravity of the matter, prosecutors decided to investigate the case directly, separately from the police's own internal misconduct inquiry.
