00:00 Intro

00:29 'Police Father' Revealed on Day of Arrest

01:07 'Investigation Team Leader' Connected Detained Suspect Jang Yoon-gi to Police Father

02:05 Did Investigation Team Open Path for Evidence Destruction by Providing Address and Door Lock Code?

03:08 'Investigation Information' Leaked via Phone Call Regarding Upcoming Warrant Application

04:04 Report on 'Real Doll' Analysis Missing from Records Despite Claims

04:49 The Heavy 'Link': Need for Investigation Beyond the Tipping Point

SBS previously reported exclusively on the shocking news that the father of Jang Yoon-gi, a suspect in the murder of a high school girl in Gwangju, destroyed key evidence that could have proven the motive of sexual assault. Surprisingly, that report was merely the beginning. Circumstances that are hard to believe occurred in 2026 are emerging one after another. How was the suspect's father, a police inspector surnamed Jang, able to dispose of the key evidence—the 'real dolls'?

1. 'Police Father' Revealed on Day of Arrest

After arresting Jang Yoon-gi on the morning of the crime, May 5, the Gwangju Gwangsan Police Station received a statement from him that his father was a police officer. Jang Yoon-gi resides in Gwangju. It was highly probable that his father also worked in Gwangju. However, no further inquiries or investigations were conducted regarding this statement. Inspector Jang, who is known to have investigative experience, was not treated as a subject for verification during the initial investigation phase. Consequently, the two real dolls that would have proven Jang Yoon-gi's true criminal intent vanished from the world at the hands of Inspector Jang.

2. 'Investigation Team Leader' Connected Detained Suspect Jang Yoon-gi to Police Father

However, another hidden story has emerged. It has been confirmed that on May 8, the day Inspector Jang destroyed the real dolls, he had a direct phone conversation with Jang Yoon-gi before the evidence was destroyed. Jang Yoon-gi had been in custody since May 7. Naturally, he did not have the freedom to speak directly with outsiders. How was this possible? It was a police officer from the Gwangsan Police Station who connected the two via phone. Furthermore, this officer was the team leader in charge of the 'Jang Yoon-gi case.' During this call, Inspector Jang asked Jang Yoon-gi if he had thrown his mobile phone into a river immediately after the crime, to which Jang Yoon-gi replied, "Yes." The Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency explained that they were trying to persuade the suspect through his father because he was not actively cooperating with the investigation. Shortly after the call, Inspector Jang went to Jang Yoon-gi's home, dismantled the two real dolls, and disposed of them.

3. Did Investigation Team Open Path for Evidence Destruction by Providing Address and Door Lock Code?

The more serious part follows. Inspector Jang did not actually know the address of Jang Yoon-gi's studio apartment where he lived separately. So how did he find the place and destroy the key evidence? Someone had provided Inspector Jang with the address and even the door lock password. It was the same person who connected the phone call between Jang Yoon-gi and Inspector Jang that day: the investigation team leader for the 'Jang Yoon-gi case.' In effect, the police investigation team opened the path for Inspector Jang to access the key evidence. It was also discovered that the lead investigator in charge of the case and Inspector Jang had spoken on the phone multiple times. Circumstances suggest that investigation-related information was leaked during these calls between the two, who had worked at the same station in the past. Suspicions have grown that the police investigation team, which should have been proving criminal charges and uncovering the truth, instead acted as a 'bridge' between Inspector Jang—a former member of the Gwangsan Police Station—and the suspect.

4. 'Investigation Information' Leaked via Phone Call Regarding Upcoming Warrant Application

Questions still remain. What kind of investigation information was leaked? Upon arresting Jang Yoon-gi on the day of the crime, the Gwangsan Police Station conducted an emergency search of his vehicle used in the crime. One day later, they returned the vehicle to Inspector Jang, citing that the vehicle had no direct relevance to the crime. Yet, the investigation team later explained to Inspector Jang during their phone calls that they were looking for the vehicle again to "check the dashcam." This was disclosed to the very person who had destroyed the key evidence. The investigation team even leaked specific details about the investigation, telling Inspector Jang that they "planned to apply for an arrest warrant and a search and seizure warrant" for his son. These 'secrets among them' that crossed the line have now become a matter requiring an investigation into potential illegality.

5. Report on 'Real Doll' Analysis Missing from Records Despite Claims

The police's questionable evidence management has also come to light. As the controversy over the destruction of evidence related to Jang Yoon-gi's sex crimes grew, the police explained, "The forensic team had already collected enough DNA from the 'real dolls,' so there was no need to seize them." They emphasized that they had requested a DNA analysis from the National Forensic Service and even received a report. However, when they forwarded the case to the prosecution, they omitted this report, which was key evidence that could have proven Jang Yoon-gi's intent to commit sexual assault. The report even contained the results of DNA analysis from the vehicle and personal belongings used at the time of the crime.

6. The Heavy 'Link': Need for Investigation Beyond the Tipping Point

Ultimately, one day after SBS's first report, the National Police Agency launched an internal inspection. They intend to examine the overall facts, including the history of reporting to superiors during the investigation, the appropriateness of evidence preservation measures, allegations of pre-leakage of investigation details, and Inspector Jang's alleged destruction of evidence. The Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency issued an official statement saying, "We will humbly accept the inspection and cooperate faithfully according to principles." Nevertheless, the uncomfortable atmosphere within the police remains. While some within the force say, "The era of going easy on a son's crime because his father is a police officer is over," others continue to claim, "There was no misconduct during the investigation." After the controversy grew, some local media interpreted Inspector Jang's destruction of evidence as merely a father "tidying up his son's room," citing an individual's perspective that it "did not seem like behavior beyond common sense." However, the real dolls in question were not mere household items; they were key evidence that could significantly influence whether Jang Yoon-gi's crime was motivated by sexual assault and determine his sentence. Articles also emerged suggesting that the prosecution was also at fault for not requesting the police to preserve the real dolls as evidence. It was revealed, however, that the police did not include information about the real dolls in the investigation records when applying for an arrest warrant the day after the crime, and the prosecution only became aware of their existence after Inspector Jang had already destroyed them. Before shifting the blame to the prosecution, it must be accurately determined what the police left in the investigation records and what they omitted. The flow of this case so far is somewhat simple. Based solely on the police investigation, Jang Yoon-gi would likely have been charged with general murder, which carries a minimum sentence of 5 years in prison. During the initial investigation, the police missed the real dolls, which had their major body parts damaged by Jang Yoon-gi. They also missed the mobile phone Jang Yoon-gi used in the past and the dashcam SD card containing his voice recordings. The evidence and charges that were almost buried were caught during the prosecution's supplementary investigation. As a result, Jang Yoon-gi was indicted for murder with the intent of sexual assault, which carries a minimum sentence of life imprisonment. The coercive investigation powers granted to the police are premised on strict accountability. The gaps in evidence management, the circumstances of investigation information leakage, and the allegations of evidence destruction by Inspector Jang revealed in this case are all linked to proving whether Jang Yoon-gi's crime was motivated by sexual assault. Inspector Jang's statement during the prosecution's investigation that he "was worried that his son's crime would be linked to sexual matters" makes this connection even heavier. The tipping point has effectively been passed. Ultimately, five days after the SBS report, the police formed a 22-member task force and arrested the investigation team leader for the Jang Yoon-gi case. They confirmed circumstances of evidence destruction during the process of forwarding the case to the prosecution. Now that the case has moved beyond an internal inspection to a formal investigation, we will continue to track the remaining suspicions hidden beneath the iceberg.

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▶ Refer to SBS News

※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.

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