[Anchor]

The National Office of Investigation (NOI), the control tower for police investigations, has become a subject of investigation in connection with the Jang Yoon-gi case. An official from the Gwangsan Police Station stated that the decision to separate the murder and sex crime cases involving Jang Yoon-gi was made under the direction of the NOI. Today, July 21, the prosecution and the police conducted simultaneous raids on the NOI, signaling a competition for control over the investigation.

Reporter Shin Yong-il has the story.

[Reporter]

At approximately 6:15 a.m. today, an investigative team from the Gwangju District Prosecutors Office arrived at the National Office of Investigation at the National Police Agency.

The search and seizure operation targeted offices including the NOI's Violent Crime Investigation Division and the Women and Juvenile Crime Investigation Division.

The raid was conducted to determine whether the police command structure intervened in the investigation, following allegations of a botched investigation into Jang Yoon-gi, who is accused of murdering a high school girl.

The prosecution suspects that senior officials at the National Police Agency may have been involved in the process of applying charges of general murder, which carries a lighter sentence than rape-murder, to Jang Yoon-gi.

About an hour after the prosecution began its raid, at 7:30 a.m., a special police investigation unit also began a search and seizure operation at the same location.

However, it is understood that the police executed their warrant only after observing the situation as the prosecution, which had arrived earlier, carried out its search.

Although the prosecution and the police are applying different charges, the underlying criminal facts are effectively the same, and the items targeted for seizure overlap. It is highly unusual for both agencies to raid the same location simultaneously.

Analysts suggest that the prosecution and police have begun a full-scale competition to secure control over the investigation, especially after statements emerged from investigative team members claiming that the NOI had issued instructions to separate the murder and sex crime charges against Jang Yoon-gi.

A subtle war of nerves between the two investigative agencies is also being detected.

The police criticized the prosecution, stating that there was a lack of basic respect for a state institution, noting that the raid took place before employees had even arrived for work. The prosecution countered by arguing that it does not make sense for a special investigation unit formed by the NOI to be the one raiding the NOI itself.

(Video reporting: Choi Dae-woong | Video editing: Park Chun-bae | Graphics: Kang Yoon-jung)