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Following an SBS report that the father of Jang Yoon-gi, a suspect in the murder of a high school girl in Gwangju, destroyed evidence related to his son's sex crime charges, Minister of Justice Jeong Seong-ho stated that there is a need to review whether the special exemption clause for family members in the Criminal Act should be improved.
Minister Jeong pointed out that because the law exempts family members from punishment for destroying evidence in crimes committed by close relatives, it is a reality that "it is difficult to immediately punish the father, who is an active-duty police officer, even though he destroyed key evidence."
Minister Jeong said, "Last year, the 'family theft exemption' rule, which exempted punishment for property crimes such as theft and fraud between family members, was also abolished," adding, "It is necessary to examine whether there are parts of the family member exemption clause that also need to be improved."