Former detective chief in Jang Yun-gi case to face detention hearing Tuesday

A former detective division chief at the Gwangju Gwangsan Police Station, suspected of exerting influence over the handling of the case involving convicted murderer Jang Yun-gi, is set to face a detention hearing Tuesday.

The Gwangju District Court will hold a pre-arrest warrant review hearing for the suspect, identified only as Inspector A, at 11 a.m. Tuesday. He faces charges of abuse of authority and dereliction of duty.

Inspector A was part of the investigative command line overseeing the Jang Yun-gi case. He is suspected of having influenced the decision to charge Jang with simple murder rather than murder with intent to rape.

A special investigation unit under the Korean National Police Agency's National Investigation Headquarters, tasked with uncovering misconduct in the Jang Yun-gi case, is also examining whether Inspector A was involved in the decision to handle Jang's past stalking case and the murder case as separate investigations rather than consolidating them.

A unit official said that while investigative divisions are normally assigned cases by type of offense, a commanding officer has the authority to order a consolidated investigation, adding that the unit is focused on the decision-making process. The unit is also looking into whether Jang's father, an active-duty police officer, lobbied the investigative team.

The special unit determined that detention was necessary and applied for a pre-arrest warrant on Thursday. Prosecutors formally requested the warrant the same night.