Exclusive: 'Real Dolls' Found Damaged at Jang Yoon-gi's Home Destroyed by His Father, a Police Officer

[Anchor]

Jang Yoon-gi, who is accused of kidnapping and murdering a high school girl he had never met before on a street in Gwangju last May with the intent of sexual assault, is currently on trial. However, our investigation has revealed that key evidence that could have proven Jang's sexual assault charges was destroyed by his father, who is a serving police official. It appears this destruction of evidence was possible because the police initially overlooked the evidence right in front of them.

Reporter Shin Yong-il has this exclusive report.

[Reporter]

In the early hours of May 5, 23-year-old Jang Yoon-gi kidnapped a high school girl named Lee Chae-won, whom he had never met, in downtown Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, and brutally murdered her with a weapon.

Arrested 11 hours after the crime, Jang claimed it was an impulsive act, and the police referred the case to the prosecution on charges including murder, without including sexual assault charges.

However, it has been confirmed that the police missed key evidence that would have proven the intent of sexual assault during the initial investigation.

Although they identified several damaged 'real dolls' while searching Jang's residence, they failed to secure them. It was found that shortly thereafter, Jang's father dismantled the dolls and disposed of them in various locations across Gwangju.

The father, who SBS confirmed is a mid-ranking police officer working in the Gwangju region, was also investigated for burning a mobile phone previously used by Jang Yoon-gi after the incident occurred.

Furthermore, the police failed to secure the SD card containing the dashcam footage from Jang's vehicle. However, the prosecution later discovered the SD card during an additional search, which contained a recording of Jang telling an acquaintance, "I only feel sorry for the woman who appeared in front of me."

Through interviews with acquaintances, the prosecution also obtained testimony that "Jang said if his life were ruined, he would kidnap a high school girl in a van."

Based on these investigations, the prosecution concluded that there was a sexual motive behind the murder and changed the charges to include rape-murder, indicting him last month.

Regarding the actions of Jang's father, while current law does not allow for the punishment of family members for destroying evidence, experts suggest that other charges could potentially be applied.

[Choi Yong-moon / Lawyer (Director of the Administrative Watch Center at People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy): It seems necessary to review whether this could constitute obstruction of official duties, as he interfered with the police's original investigation.]

Jang's father reportedly stated during the prosecution's investigation that he was "worried that his son's crime would be linked to sexual matters."

(Video Editing: Shin Se-eun, Design: Kim Min-young)

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[Anchor]

We will ask legal affairs reporter Shin Yong-il, who covered this case, for more details.

Q. Regarding the destruction of evidence by the police official father, what is the police's explanation?

[Reporter Shin Yong-il: The police explained to our team that although they discovered the real dolls at Jang Yoon-gi's residence, they did not seize them because they saw no direct relevance to the crime. However, the prosecution determined that Jang Yoon-gi committed the crime with sexual motives, based on the fact that the chests and necks of the real dolls were severely damaged by what is presumed to be a weapon, as well as conversations with acquaintances regarding the crime. Since Jang Yoon-gi's father, a serving police official, admitted that he destroyed the evidence because he was worried his son would be linked to a sex crime, the police investigation team's explanation is inevitably unconvincing. Furthermore, our investigation confirmed that the prosecution found the dashcam SD card in the trunk of the same car, which the police failed to find. It appears difficult for the police to avoid criticism that their initial investigation was highly inadequate, which prevented them from properly applying the charges against Jang Yoon-gi.]

Q. With the additional sexual assault charges, has the punishment become stricter?

[Reporter Shin Yong-il: While it is the same murder, the minimum statutory penalty changes depending on the motive. In the case of the general murder charge applied by the police, while a maximum of the death penalty or life imprisonment is possible, the statutory minimum—the lowest sentence the court can impose upon conviction—is 5 years in prison. However, for the rape-murder charge added by the prosecution, the minimum is life imprisonment. If the court finds him guilty, the only statutory penalties that can be imposed on Jang Yoon-gi are life imprisonment or the death penalty.]

Q. What about the police investigation into Jang Yoon-gi's father for 'destruction of evidence'?

[Reporter Shin Yong-il: We looked into this. As far as we are aware, there was no separate investigation or internal audit by the police. As mentioned in the report, since current law does not allow for the punishment of family members for destroying evidence, the prosecution did not book the father as a suspect and only questioned him as a witness. However, there is criticism that because a serving police official destroyed evidence for a police investigation, the appropriateness of his actions should be examined through internal audits.]

(Video Editing: Yoon Tae-ho, Design: Kim Min-young)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.