Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency Summons Police Officer Accused of Destroying Son's Phone to Hide Evidence as Suspect

It has been confirmed that the police have summoned a mid-ranking police officer for questioning as a suspect on allegations of smashing the mobile phone of his son, who was under investigation for attempted illegal filming.

According to SBS reporting, the Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency summoned Inspector A, who has been booked on charges including evidence destruction, as a suspect today (August 7).

This comes 11 days after Inspector A's alleged misconduct was brought to light through an exclusive SBS report.

Inspector A, who works at a police box in the Jeonju area of Jeonbuk, is accused of destroying evidence last May by smashing his son's mobile phone as his son came under police investigation for illegal filming.

When his son was caught attempting to illegally film a female teacher, Inspector A allegedly threw and broke the phone, which could have served as a core piece of evidence.

Inspector A claimed on the internal police network, "I was in such great shock to hear that my innocent child had committed such an act that I ended up smashing the phone." However, in the process of conducting a comprehensive investigation into cases involving police families triggered by suspicions surrounding Jang Yoon-ki's investigative misconduct, the Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency verified this case, booked Inspector A on charges of evidence destruction last month, and initiated a coercive investigation.

As the controversy grew, Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency Chief Lee Jae-young stated on the 4th, "I apologize to the provincial residents for showing an unfavorable side of the police," adding, "We will thoroughly investigate whether there was any collusion with the investigative department."

The police reportedly questioned Inspector A intensively regarding the circumstances of the evidence destruction and whether there was any assistance from fellow police officers.

However, criminal punishment for Inspector A is not expected to be straightforward.

This is because, under the special provisions for punishment among relatives, penalizing a direct blood relative is not permitted.

Following the review of Inspector A's statements, the police are expected to determine the direction of the case handling and proceed with disciplinary procedures.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.