Police agency launches probe into officer-father of Gwangju murder suspect over evidence destruction

By Kim A-rin, The Herald Business

The Korean National Police Agency has launched an internal investigation into a serving police officer — the father of Jang Yun-gi, 23 — after the officer allegedly destroyed key evidence linked to his son's crime. Jang killed a high school girl he had never met in May.

The agency announced Wednesday afternoon that it would conduct an audit "to determine whether there were any shortcomings in the police investigation of the Jang Yun-gi case, and to verify the facts surrounding allegations that Jang's father destroyed evidence."

Jang was indicted Wednesday in custody on charges of rape-murder after prosecutors determined he had kidnapped Lee Chae-won, 16, as she was walking home along a roadside in Gwangju, South Jeolla Province, in the early hours of May 5, intending to sexually assault her, and killed her.

Jang's father, a senior police officer with the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency, is reported to have disposed of adult products found at Jang's home as well as multiple mobile phones Jang had used. Because current law does not allow criminal charges for evidence destruction by a family member, he was not booked.

Justice Minister Jeong Seong-ho called for abolishing the so-called family exemption that shielded Jang's father from prosecution. In a Facebook post Tuesday, Jeong said it had come to light that Jang's father, a serving police officer, had destroyed evidence, and added that "there is a need to review whether the family exemption provision requires reform."

Prosecutors received the case from police, who had forwarded it on a murder charge, and after a supplementary investigation upgraded the charge to rape-murder before indicting Jang in custody.

Following the transfer of the case, prosecutors searched Jang's residence, seized and analyzed his bank transaction records, and questioned key witnesses as part of their supplementary investigation. A "real doll" — an adult product — found at Jang's home had severe damage to the neck area. Prosecutors also searched the vehicle Jang used after the crime and secured its dashcam. The dashcam's memory card reportedly contained footage of Jang committing the crime, as well as a voice recording in which he appeared to admit to a sexual crime to an acquaintance after the fact.

On the basis of that evidence, prosecutors concluded that Jang had killed the victim while attempting to rape her, and changed the charge from murder to rape-murder. They also indicted Jang on a separate charge of attempted murder in connection with a male student who had tried to help the victim.

The charge upgrade carries significantly heavier penalties. Simple murder is punishable by death, life imprisonment or a prison term of five years or more, while rape-murder draws a harsher sentence of death, life imprisonment or a minimum of 10 years in prison.