After the arrest of "high school girl killer" Jang Yun-gi, 23, an internal police audit that had been reviewing the overall investigative procedure expanded into a probe of misconduct by the officer in charge.
According to Yonhap News Agency and police on the 6th, the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency urgently arrested Inspector A of the criminal division at the Gwangsan Police Station in Gwangju on suspicion of destroying evidence. Inspector A was the Head of Team of the investigative unit that handled the Jang Yun-gi case.
Inspector A is suspected of having destroyed some evidence during the search and seizure of Jang Yun-gi's SUV, the suspect's vehicle, on May 5, shortly after the incident.
Earlier, police were found to have handed over key evidence, including the SUV used in the crime and a "damaged sex doll" found in Jang Yun-gi's rented room, to Jang's family early in the investigation without preserving the items themselves.
As it became known that Jang Yun-gi's father is a mid-level incumbent police officer, voices inside and outside the police said the investigation from arrest to referral should be reviewed for appropriateness. In response, police launched an internal audit of the investigation and, when indications of criminal conduct were identified in the process, converted it into a formal investigation.
The Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency formed a 22-member task force led by the Head of Team, the head of the investigation division. The task force plans to examine whether there was any collusion between Jang Yun-gi's father and the officers in charge of the case.
However, controversy over who should lead the probe is also expected. The Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency, which oversaw the Jang Yun-gi case, is itself subject to an audit by the National Office of Investigation (NOI) of the Korean National Police Agency. Because the body that must uncover possible collusion is simultaneously under audit, questions may be raised about the fairness and propriety of the investigation.
The Korean National Police Agency has been conducting an audit since the 3rd of the Gwangsan Police Station in Gwangju, which investigated the Jang Yun-gi case, the Seobu Police Station in Gwangju where Jang's father works, and the overall Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency chain of command.
A Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency official said, "We will conduct a strict investigation of everyone involved. We will investigate thoroughly so that no doubts remain."