The head of the investigation team at Gwangju Gwangsan Police Station who led the initial probe into the killing of high school student Jang Yun-gi pushed back against the Korean National Police Agency National Office of Investigation (NOI)'s interim findings, saying they were an after-the-fact judgment that excluded the circumstances at the time. On the point that the team failed to actively apply the charge of rape and murder, the head apologized to the victim's family but argued the team did not scale back the investigation to go easy on Jang.
Police Capt. Park, a person surnamed Park (59) who was the investigation team leader at the time, issued a statement through a legal representative on the 16th, saying, "The NOI's interim findings are a one-sided inference assessed retrospectively at the present point without considering roughly 10 days of investigative circumstances from immediately after the arrest of Jang Yun-gi (24) until referral to the prosecution," and "they are far from the substantive facts."
They also denied suspicions that the team intentionally went easy on him. Park's side said, "The investigators, including the team leader, sought only to investigate and punish the heinous criminal Jang Yun-gi, and there was not the slightest intent to go easy on him."
However, they acknowledged responsibility for not sufficiently reviewing the rape and murder charge early in the case. Park conveyed to the victim's family, "I am sorry that, in the end, we were unable to actively apply the charge of rape and murder to Jang Yun-gi."
The National Office of Investigation (NOI) the previous day announced its interim findings, saying it had sent Park to the prosecution in custody on charges including destruction of evidence, and that additional instances had emerged in which the initial investigative team failed to properly check or seize key evidence.
According to the NOI's investigation, the team found indications on a spare mobile phone secured from Jang Yun-gi that suggested the crime was preplanned, but failed to sufficiently verify them and excluded them from the case file.
It was found that a sex doll discovered in Jang Yun-gi's studio apartment and items in his car, including cable ties, an SD card, and a USB drive, were also left out of the seizure list.
In particular, it was determined that on May 13, the day before handing Jang over to the prosecution, Park instructed that content related to "sexual purpose" be deleted from an investigative report.
After suspicions of a shoddy investigation surfaced, a charge was also applied that they tried to dispose of related materials. Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency received a request from the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office on the 2nd to send additional materials omitted from the initial investigation. However, it was found that Park did not send the materials and instructed a team member to delete a crime scene forensics video showing cable ties.
Regarding these circumstances, the legal representative said, "Park reflects on failing to send additional materials to the prosecution."
The representative added, "After the prosecution changed the charge to rape and murder and indicted, Park acknowledges that there were shortcomings in the investigative process," and "Park is blaming himself and spending time in reflection and regret, feeling it is self-inflicted, for the investigation coming under doubt and criticism."
Park said, "I am only sorry that we failed to conduct a more thorough investigation during the police probe and came to face criticism and rebuke for a shoddy investigation," but added, "As for parts where shortcomings and mistakes are being evaluated as intentional crimes, I will fully explain them in the forthcoming prosecution investigation and trial."