The lead investigator in charge of the murder case of a high school girl, committed by Jang Yun-gi, has been found to have directed his team to downplay the investigation at every major stage, including ordering them not to frame the crime as having a sexual motive.
The National Police Agency's special investigation unit announced today that Inspector Park, a member of the Gwangju Gwangsan Police Station's detective division who oversaw the initial investigation into the Jang Yun-gi case, instructed his team members not to pursue a sexual motive, thereby limiting the scope of the investigation.
Although members of the violent crimes unit suggested the possibility of a charge of rape-murder, their input was ignored. It was also confirmed that Inspector Park omitted a forensic interview report from the investigation records that recommended examining the sexual motives behind the crime.
Furthermore, it was revealed that Inspector Park ordered a report, which analyzed that the car's rear door appeared to be open when Jang was subduing the victim, to be rewritten to state that the evidence was unclear.
Inspector Park also had specific details removed from an investigation report regarding stalking crimes Jang had committed against a part-time job colleague before the murder, and he instructed that any mention of a sexual motive be excluded when attaching other analysis reports.
Inspector Park's instructions were also behind the destruction of key evidence, such as cable ties and a sex doll, by Jang's father, who is a serving police officer.
At the scene of the vehicle forensic examination on the day of the incident, Inspector Park personally touched the cable ties but ordered his team members not to seize them, and subsequently forbade them from even mentioning the items.
It was also confirmed that on July 2, Inspector Park disobeyed orders from his superiors to submit omitted materials, such as investigation reports, to the prosecution. Instead, he even ordered a team member to delete the forensic video footage that captured the cable ties.
While Inspector Park claimed that he judged evidence such as the cable ties and the sex doll were not primary evidence of the murder, he reportedly stated that there were orders from above regarding the decision not to link the stalking to the murder.
The special investigation unit plans to continue investigating whether there were any financial transactions or solicitations involved in the botched investigation process.
In addition, Inspector Park, who was deeply involved in ensuring that Jang was referred to the prosecution only on charges of simple murder, was referred to the prosecution today on charges including destruction of evidence, dereliction of duty, and abuse of power.
Reported by Jung Da-eun | Video by Lee Ui-seon | Graphics by Yook Do-hyun | Produced by SBS Digital News
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.