[Anchor]

The prosecution, investigating allegations of botched police handling of the Jang Yoon-ki case, has seized the work mobile phone of former National Office of Investigation (NOI) Chief Park Sung-joo. Prosecutors plan to question Park and other NOI officials regarding the circumstances under which they directed the separation of Jang's sex crime and murder investigations.

This is an exclusive report by reporter Bae Seong-jae.

[Reporter]

Prosecutors are focusing on the so-called "separated assignment" process during the initial investigation of the Jang Yoon-ki case, where the Gwangsan Police Station's violent crimes division and women and youth division handled the high school girl murder case and the sex crime against a Vietnamese woman separately.

Previously, following the Namyangju stalking murder case in March of this year, the police reported a countermeasure to the presidential office stating that whenever a stalking report is filed, "cases will be accepted immediately regardless of jurisdiction."

However, when a Vietnamese woman reported stalking victimized by Jang Yoon-ki on May 3 of last year, this principle was not followed, and two days later around midnight on May 5, Jang murdered the late Lee Chae-won.

Prosecutors suspect that former NOI Chief Park Sung-joo and the NOI command line ordered the separated assignment to conceal the botched initial investigation into the Vietnamese woman's stalking case.

In connection with this, the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office seized Park's work mobile phone late last month, according to SBS reporting.

It is reported that authorities are analyzing the secured phone to verify whether Park actually ordered the separated assignment and whether there are circumstances showing he received reports or issued directives regarding the matter.

Prosecutors are reportedly reviewing how to proceed with the questioning of five individuals from the former NOI command line, including Park, who was recently booked on suspicion of abuse of authority.

SBS sent text messages and made multiple calls to Park to inquire about these allegations, but Park did not respond.

(Video Editing: So Ji-hye, Design: Kim Ye-ji)