A former head of the criminal investigation division at the Gwangju Gwangsan Police Station, who was identified as a person responsible for the botched investigation into the 'Jang Yoon-gi case,' has appeared for a warrant hearing.

Judge Choi Yoon-young of the Gwangju District Court held a pre-arrest warrant hearing today (July 21) for Superintendent A, who is affiliated with the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency and faces charges of abuse of power and dereliction of duty.

Arriving at the court at 10:30 a.m. for the hearing, Superintendent A responded to reporters asking if he felt unfairly treated by saying, "There were no unfair orders from superiors or by me during the investigation process."

He added, "I apologize to the victim's bereaved family. I tried to uncover the truth of the case, but I am sorry that it led to controversy over a poor investigation."

The decision on whether to issue the arrest warrant is expected to be made late tonight.

Superintendent A was booked on charges of poorly overseeing the investigation while serving as the head of the criminal investigation division at the Gwangju Gwangsan Police Station last May, when Jang Yoon-gi (23) murdered a 16-year-old high school student.

At the time, the police referred Jang to the prosecution on charges of 'simple murder,' which carries a minimum sentence of 5 years in prison, instead of 'murder for the purpose of rape,' which could have resulted in a life sentence or more.

Superintendent A is also accused of dereliction of duty as the official in charge, including failing to conduct a comprehensive investigation into 'stalking and sexual assault' crimes linked to Jang's murder, and instead separating them and transferring them to other departments.

Many frontline police officers who were involved in the investigation of the Jang Yoon-gi case testified that most of the criminal charges Superintendent A is facing were the result of directives from the National Office of Investigation (NOI) of the National Police Agency.

The special investigation team of the NOI and the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office, which are each investigating allegations of misconduct in the Jang Yoon-gi case, conducted simultaneous raids on relevant departments of the NOI this morning.

(Photo: Yonhap News)