Cable ties key to Jang Yun-gi rape-murder case found at father's home

Cable ties that disappeared from the vehicle used by Gwangju high school murder suspect Jang Yun-gi — sparking a controversy over evidence destruction — have been found at the home of Jang's father, an active-duty senior police officer, according to sources.

Prosecutors at the Gwangju District Prosecutors Office raided the residence of Jang's father — identified by his surname Jang and holding the rank of police inspector — on Tuesday and seized the cable ties, SBS reported Wednesday.

The cable ties are considered key evidence, suspected to have been prepared in advance by Jang Yun-gi for use as restraints. Jang has been indicted on charges of kidnapping, attempted rape and murder of a high school girl.

Investigators from the Gwangju Gwangsan Police Station found a bundle of cable ties in the glove compartment of Jang's SUV during an emergency search on May 5 but failed to secure them as evidence. The team photographed and filmed the cable ties and recorded the findings in an investigation report, but left the physical items unsecured.

The investigators completed only an initial forensic examination of the vehicle before handing the SUV over to Jang's father the following day, after which the cable ties ended up at his residence.

Prosecutors received the investigation report — including footage from the vehicle examination — belatedly on Monday and, after analyzing it, turned their attention to the possibility that police had systematically destroyed evidence. The following day, they raided Gwangsan Police Station and the homes or offices of multiple officers involved.

Jang's father reportedly explained why he kept the cable ties rather than disposing of them, saying: "I didn't think much of it. I didn't even know they were important."

Meanwhile, suspicions of evidence tampering surrounding Jang's father are deepening. He is alleged to have disposed of a sex doll found in his son's rented room and burned a mobile phone that had been missed during a police search. After taking possession of the SUV, he is also said to have driven it for about two weeks while the victim's bloodstains remained on the body of the vehicle.

Prosecutors have also obtained indications that police systematically concealed Jang's father's identity as an officer and are now examining whether there was an organized cover-up throughout the entire handling of the case.

A phone seized from Jang's father was found to contain recorded calls with members of the investigation team. Those recordings reportedly include a statement that "there were instructions from above to ensure that his status as a police officer would not be known."

On Friday, prosecutors booked multiple officers on charges including leaking official secrets as part of a preliminary investigation. Police, for their part, sought an arrest warrant for Inspector A, the officer who led the investigation team at the time, on charges of evidence destruction, and removed him from his post. Six people in total — including the chief of Gwangsan Police Station, the then-head of the criminal investigations unit and members of the investigation team — were placed on standby duty.