Focusing on Background of 'Separated Investigation'... Gwangju Police Agency's Former Head of Detective Division Summoned

[Anchor]

The National Police Agency's special investigation team, which is investigating allegations of procedural misconduct in the Jang Yoon-ki case, has summoned a senior superintendent-level official from the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency for questioning. The team is reportedly focusing on clarifying why the stalking and sexual assault case—which could prove the sexual motive behind the murder—was investigated separately, and what instructions were given in the process.

Reporter An Huijae has the details.

[Reporter]

The person summoned as a reference witness by the special investigation team today (July 25) is Senior Superintendent Lee, the former head of the detective division at the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency.

The special investigation team is looking into whether Park Sung-ju, the then-Head of the National Office of Investigation, intervened in the process where the Gwangju Gwangsan Police Station conducted "separated investigations" into the murder of a high school girl and the stalking and sexual assault against a Vietnamese woman committed by Jang Yoon-ki.

Circumstances have previously emerged showing that the National Office of Investigation had sent guidelines for a separated investigation to the head of the violent crime unit at the Gwangju Police Agency. The special investigation team reportedly pressed Senior Superintendent Lee, who was the direct superior of the violent crime unit head at the time, regarding the command instructions given back then.

[Senior Superintendent Lee / Former Head of Detective Division at Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency : (Have you ever ordered a separated investigation?) ......]

Suspicion has also been raised that then-Head Park Sung-ju unusually and directly monitored the investigation into Jang Yoon-ki.

Circumstances were recently captured during the investigation showing that Superintendent Choi, the head of the violent crime unit at the National Office of Investigation who was serving as acting division head, frequently received progress reports on the Jang Yoon-ki investigation.

Superintendent Choi is the person who conveyed the separated investigation guidelines to the Gwangju Police Agency under the pretext of "instructions from the head of the office." He reportedly stated during prosecution and police investigations, "I reported to Head Park to the effect that a combined investigation was necessary, but I received instructions in return saying, 'make sure the stalking and sexual assault case is not unnecessarily exposed.'"

Although Head Park explained that it meant "protecting the sexual violence victim from being exposed," the prosecution and police are focusing their investigative efforts with suspicions that the number two official in the police organization, the Head of the National Office of Investigation, may have had other intentions.

The prosecution and police are also reportedly reviewing how to handle the legal status of Senior Superintendent Kim, the "higher-up" who decided to apply the charge of simple murder rather than rape-murder against Jang Yoon-ki while serving as the chief of the Gwangsan Police Station at the time.

(Photo courtesy of KBC Kim Hyung-soo | Video by Park Ji-in)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.