Police have summoned a mid-level police officer for questioning as a suspect on allegations of smashing his son's mobile phone while the son was under investigation for attempted illegal filming, it has been learned.

According to SBS reporting, the Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency summoned Police Inspector A, who has been booked on charges including evidence destruction, for questioning as a suspect today (August 7).

This comes 11 days after allegations of police misconduct involving Inspector A were 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 fallen under police investigation for an illegal filming incident.

After his son was caught attempting to illegally film a female teacher, Inspector A allegedly threw and broke the phone, which could have served as a crucial piece of evidence.

Inspector A claimed on the internal police network that he was in such deep shock upon hearing that his innocent child had committed such an act that he smashed the phone. However, the Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency uncovered the case during a comprehensive inspection into cases involving police families triggered by allegations of investigative misconduct by Jang Yoon-ki. Last month, the agency booked Inspector A on charges of evidence destruction and launched a coercive investigation.

As the controversy grew, Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency Chief Lee Jae-young stated on the 4th, "I apologize to the residents of the province for showing such an undesirable side of the police," emphasizing that they would 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 any fellow police officers provided assistance.

However, criminal punishment for Inspector A is not expected to be easy.

This is because under the special provisions for punishment among family members, punishing a direct blood relative is not permitted.

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

(Photo: Yonhap News)