Jeonbuk Provincial Police Summon Police Officer Suspected of Destroying Son's Phone Evidence

Police have summoned for the first time a mid-ranking police officer suspected of destroying the mobile phone of his son, who was under investigation for attempted illegal filming.

According to SBS coverage, 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, Jeonbuk, is accused of destroying evidence last May by smashing the mobile phone of his son, who had come under police radar in an illegal filming case.

The allegations state that after discovering his son had been caught attempting to illegally film a female teacher, Inspector A threw and broke the phone, which could have served as a key piece of evidence.

Inspector A claimed on the police internal network that he "smashed the phone after receiving such a massive shock upon hearing that his innocent child had committed such an act." However, in the process of conducting a full investigation into cases involving police family ties following suspicions regarding Jang Yoon-gi's investigative misconduct, the Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency booked Inspector A on charges of evidence destruction last month and initiated compulsory investigation.

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

The police reportedly questioned Inspector A intensively regarding the circumstances surrounding the destruction of evidence and whether he received 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, punishing a direct lineal blood relative is not permitted.

The police are expected to determine the direction of case handling based on Inspector A's statements and then proceed with disciplinary and other procedures.

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