Former Gwangsan Police Chief Questioned as Suspect for First Time... National Investigation Headquarters Official Also Summoned

[Anchor]

The special investigation team of the National Police Agency, which is investigating allegations of botched handling in the Jang Yoon-ki case, has summoned the former chief of the Gwangsan Police Station for questioning as a suspect. A senior superintendent of the violent crimes division at the National Investigation Headquarters, who was summoned by prosecutors yesterday (the 22nd), is also being questioned as a reference witness.

Reporter Dong Eunyeong has the details.

[Reporter]

The special investigation team of the National Police Agency summoned former Gwangsan Police Station Chief Senior Superintendent Kim at 10 a.m. today.

This marks the first time Senior Superintendent Kim has been questioned by the special team as a suspect.

Previously, the special team booked Senior Superintendent Kim on charges of abuse of authority and dereliction of duty on the 14th.

Senior Superintendent Kim is accused of having the Gwangsan Police Station's investigation team apply a regular murder charge rather than murder with the intent to commit rape when forwarding the Jang Yoon-ki case to prosecutors.

It is reported that the special team is also questioning Senior Superintendent Kim over whether any undue directives or pressure from the National Investigation Headquarters were involved during the initial response phase.

In addition, the special team has summoned Superintendent Choi, the head of the violent crimes division at the National Police Agency's National Investigation Headquarters who was questioned by prosecutors yesterday, along with a working-level official from the division, to be questioned as reference witnesses.

[Superintendent Choi / Head of Violent Crimes Division, National Police Agency's National Investigation Headquarters (Yesterday): (Did you ever convey that the head of the National Investigation Headquarters ordered separate investigations?) ......]

Superintendent Choi is known to have instructed the head of the violent crimes division at the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency last May to investigate the Jang Yoon-ki murder case and a prior sex crime against a Vietnamese woman separately, citing the "director's instructions."

The "director" referred to here is former National Investigation Headquarters Chief Park Sung-ju, who retired last month. The special team also summoned and questioned the head of the Gwangju Police Agency's violent crimes division who received those messages yesterday.

In a phone interview with SBS, former Chief Park explained, "If there was anything special in the reports or if I had given direct instructions, I would remember, but I have no particular recollection."

(Video Editing: Park Ji-in)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.