Cable Ties Disappeared from Jang Yoon-gi's Vehicle Found at His Father's Home

Key Evidence in "Rape and Murder" Case Under Scrutiny
SUV Searched and Seized; Forensic Analysis on Bloodstains and Other Evidence

Key evidence to prove the "rape and murder" charge in the high school girl murder case that occurred in downtown Gwangju—a binding tool—was discovered at the residence of the suspect’s father, who is a serving police officer. The suspect is Jang Yoon-gi (23).

Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office sent investigators to Gwangsan Police Station, which investigated the "high school girl murder case" involving Jang Yoon-gi, to execute a search warrant on the 7th. The photo shows a cable tie placed in the passenger seat storage compartment of the sports utility vehicle (SUV) used as the means of the crime by Jang Yoon-gi, taken around 12:45 PM on the 6th. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

According to the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office on July 8, prosecutors found and seized a bundle of cable ties during a search of Jang Yoon-gi’s father’s residence the previous day. These cable ties had gone missing during the initial stage of the investigation.

Prosecutors believe that these cable ties will serve as the most decisive circumstantial evidence supporting the indictment for "rape and other related murder," which alleges that Jang kidnapped the late Lee Chaewon (17) by car with the intent to commit a sexual crime.

Previously, the initial investigation team at Gwangsan Police Station in Gwangju had found these cable ties in the passenger seat storage compartment of the sports utility vehicle (SUV) used in the crime after urgently arresting Jang Yoon-gi, and had also documented them on video. However, after Jang denied their relevance, claiming he had bought them to tie electrical wires at home, the investigators, focused solely on securing the murder weapon, dismissed their importance and left them in the vehicle. As a result, the cable ties were omitted from the list of seized items and disappeared without a trace, placing the team leader at risk of arrest for evidence destruction.

It was found that the cable ties were taken home by Jang’s father, a police executive, who had received the SUV from the police the day after the incident under the pretext of private property. During the prosecution’s investigation, the father stated, "I saw them in the passenger seat, brought them home without thinking, and simply kept them, not knowing they were important evidence."

However, his explanation raises strong suspicions when considered alongside his prior actions involving the destruction of evidence. He had received the address and password of his son’s rented room from the police investigation team, personally collected and disposed of a "damaged sex doll" containing evidence of sexual crimes, and burned several mobile phones his son had used as a student. In addition, after receiving the crime vehicle—the SUV with the victim’s blood still on the back seat—from the police, he drove it himself for about two weeks without it undergoing forensic analysis, contaminating key evidence.

Although prosecutors determined these actions by the father to be clear evidence destruction, they could not press criminal charges due to a special provision in criminal law that exempts family members from punishment for destroying evidence. Instead, the prosecution forcibly seized the SUV through the search warrant the previous day and requested a forensic analysis from the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office and other agencies.

Currently, the special investigation teams of the prosecution and police are broadening their probe in multiple directions to determine whether there was any leakage of investigative information or official secrets. The initial investigation team continues to strongly deny allegations of collusion or cover-up, claiming that sharing the home address and returning the vehicle were standard procedures. However, with key evidence now found at the father’s residence, it will be difficult to rule out the possibility of collusion.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.