Arrest warrant for ex-detective chief in Jang Yun-gi case rejected again

A court has again rejected a police request to arrest the former detective division chief at Gwangju's Gwangsan Police Station who led the on-the-ground investigation in the Jang Yun-gi case.

Gwangju District Court Judge Jeong Gyo-hyeong, who oversees warrant reviews, held a pre-arrest hearing Friday for the officer — identified only as A, a senior superintendent attached to the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency — and dismissed the arrest warrant sought by the Korean National Police Agency's special investigation unit tasked with uncovering the truth behind the Jang Yun-gi case. The officer faces charges of abuse of authority and dereliction of duty.

Judge Jeong said the charges "leave room for dispute even after taking into account additional evidence secured since the previous warrant rejection," adding that it was "difficult to recognize the necessity and appropriateness of detention at this stage."

It was the second time an arrest warrant for the officer had been rejected, following an earlier dismissal on July 21. The special investigation unit had reapplied for the warrant on the same charges after supplementing its case with additional materials and statements.

The officer served as detective division chief at Gwangsan Police Station when Jang Yun-gi, 23, killed a 16-year-old high school student in an incident last May, and is suspected of mishandling the investigation.

Police at the time referred Jang to prosecutors on a charge of simple murder — which carries a minimum sentence of five years in prison — rather than murder with intent to rape, which is punishable by a minimum sentence of life imprisonment.

The officer also faces charges of dereliction of duty for separating the stalking and sexual assault offenses connected to Jang's killing and transferring them to another unit rather than investigating them together.

During both warrant review proceedings, the officer's side told reporters that investigators had considered charging Jang with rape-murder based on five pieces of evidence, including a damaged sex doll, and that the relevant findings had been attached as a supplementary report to the case file sent to prosecutors.