Exclusive: Police Leaked Arrest Warrant Plans to Father of Murder Suspect Jang Yoon-gi

[Anchor]

We begin today, July 6, with an SBS exclusive report on the Gwangju high school girl murder case. It has been confirmed that a police officer involved in the investigation leaked information to the suspect's father—a serving police official—that an arrest warrant would be requested for his son, Jang Yoon-gi. With the revelation that police disclosed planned investigative actions in advance, there are growing calls for an investigation into potential collusion between the investigative team and the suspect's father.

Here is the exclusive report by reporter Shin Yong-il.

[Reporter]

Jang Yoon-gi, who brutally murdered a high school girl in the early hours of May 5, was arrested by police that same morning and was detained after an arrest warrant was issued on May 7.

However, SBS has confirmed that a member of the investigative team tipped off Jang's father, a police inspector surnamed Jang serving in the Gwangju area, about the planned investigation details.

According to reports, the investigator told Inspector Jang during a phone call that they "planned to request an arrest warrant and a search and seizure warrant for his son," sharing specific details about the progress of the investigation.

It is highly unusual for police to share specific future investigative plans, such as warrant applications, with the side of a criminal suspect, raising questions about the legality of the act.

Previously, the police failed to seize a sex doll that could have proven sexual assault charges against Jang, as well as the vehicle used in the crime. They also failed to forward a DNA analysis report confirming the victim's bloodstains to the prosecution.

Furthermore, as it was confirmed that the investigative team even provided Jang's address and password to Inspector Jang, critics have pointed out that this effectively gave the suspect an opportunity to dispose of the sex doll.

There is speculation that the police officer who leaked the investigative information could face charges of leaking official secrets.

When asked by SBS about the circumstances surrounding the leak of investigative information, the police stated they could not comment as an internal inspection is currently underway. However, there is growing pressure to launch a separate investigation into the alleged collusion between the investigative team and Inspector Jang.

(Video reporting: Jung Gyeong-mun | Video editing: Yoon Tae-ho | Graphics: Kang Yoon-jung)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.