▲ Jang Yoon-gi
A police officer currently in a leadership position is facing an arrest warrant hearing on charges of destroying key evidence—cable ties that could have been used as restraints—after discovering them in the vehicle used by Jang Yoon-gi, the perpetrator of the Gwangju high school student murder case.
The officer, a police inspector (Gyeong-gam) surnamed A from the Gwangju Gwangsan Police Station, who was emergency-arrested on July 6 on charges of destroying evidence, appeared at the Gwangju District Court at 11:00 a.m. today, July 8, for a pre-arrest interrogation.
Upon stepping out of the police transport vehicle, Inspector A did not respond to questions from reporters, including whether he admitted to the charges of destroying evidence, whether he had anything to say, or if he had any words for the victim's family.
Covering his face with a white mask and a hat, Inspector A pushed past the reporters who gathered immediately after he exited the vehicle and quickly entered the courthouse.
After the hearing concluded, Inspector A again remained silent when asked if he felt unfairly treated or if he had any final comments, before boarding the transport vehicle.
Inspector A is accused of destroying the cable ties during a search and seizure of the SUV used by Jang Yoon-gi before and after the crime on May 5, the day of the murder.
The cable ties found in the vehicle are considered key evidence that suggests Jang intended to use them to restrain the victim for kidnapping or sexual assault.
Evidence footage recording the situation at the time shows Inspector A conversing with several members of the investigation team, discovering a bundle of cable ties in the SUV's passenger-side storage compartment, and leaving them behind without securing them as evidence.
The missing cable ties were later discovered by the prosecution during a search and seizure of the residence of a police officer surnamed Jang, who is the father of the perpetrator Jang Yoon-gi. Investigations revealed that the elder officer had taken them from his son's vehicle.
At the time of the arrest hearing, the bereaved family of the late Lee Chae-won, the victim of the Jang Yoon-gi murder case, and civic groups held a press conference in front of the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency to condemn the police's poor and cover-up investigation.
They urged, "The police were not investigators upholding the law, but accomplices who acted as one with the perpetrator, handling the case poorly and systematically covering it up. We condemn the police authorities for trying to hide the substantive truth and demand that the police who protected the murderer Jang Yoon-gi be held legally accountable."
The police, who had launched an internal inspection into various allegations surrounding the case, shifted to a formal investigation after discovering clues to substantiate the charges. On July 7, they placed six individuals on leave, including the Chief of the Gwangsan Police Station (Superintendent General), the then-Head of the Detective Division (Senior Superintendent), and four members of the investigation team.
Furthermore, the police have relieved Inspector A of his duties.
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