New National Office of Investigation (NOI) chief Hong Seok-gi said he would "put his fate on the line to investigate" allegations of collusion between the investigative team and Inspector Jang, the father of "the Gwangju high school girl killer" Jang Yoon-gi and a current police officer in Gwangju.
Deputy Minister Hong said at his first regular press briefing on the 6th that he was "at a loss for words," adding, "We immediately mobilized an investigative audit, and upon receiving a report on the need to shift from audit to investigation, I ordered a strict probe."
The Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency on the same day urgently arrested Inspector A of the criminal division at the Gwangsan Police Station in Gwangju on charges of destroying evidence. Inspector A was the Head of Team of the investigative unit that handled the Jang Yoon-gi case.
Inspector A is suspected of destroying some evidence during the search and seizure of Jang Yoon-gi's sport utility vehicle (SUV) on May 5, right after the incident.
Without preserving in physical form key evidence such as a "damaged sex doll" found in Jang Yoon-gi's rented room, the items were handed over to Jang's family in the early stage of the investigation, and once it became known that Jang's father is an active-duty police officer, suspicions of a "police family cover-up" grew.
Deputy Minister Hong said, "We will thoroughly investigate why (evidence, etc.) was omitted," adding, "We will reveal everything through the investigation without a shred of doubt, not only what has come to light through media reports but also what has been uncovered through the investigative audit."
Deputy Minister Hong also explained the formation of a 22-member task force to investigate allegations of collusion between Jang Yoon-gi's father and those in charge of the investigation, saying, "Given various concerns, we excluded the entire criminal line."