Prosecution Executes Search and Seizure at Gwangju Police Agency Over 'Jang Yoon-gi Investigation Mishandling Allegations'

Third Compulsory Investigation
Prosecutors Seek to Clarify Leadership Involvement in the Case

The prosecution, which is investigating allegations of a botched investigation and internal collusion in the police related to the “Gwangju high school girl murder case” involving Jang Yoon-gi (23), has begun executing search and seizure warrants targeting the leadership at the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency.

On the morning of the 7th, investigators from the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office conducted a search and seizure at the Gwangsan Police Station in Gwangsan District, Gwangju Metropolitan City, Jeonnam Province. Photo by Yonhap News

According to the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office and other authorities on July 15, investigators from the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office served search and seizure warrants at the offices of key commanders and the violent crime division at the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency from the morning of the same day. This marks the third instance of compulsory investigation by the prosecution regarding this case, following July 7 and 10.

The prosecution is securing documentation, computer hard drives, and other materials that could reveal the full decision-making process of those in the investigation chain for the Jang Yoon-gi case, including the head of the violent crime division, the head of the criminal division, the director of investigations, and the agency chief at the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency. The prosecution had previously booked the former Gwangsan Police Station chief (Superintendent General) and the then-head of the criminal division (Superintendent), both of whom have now been placed on standby, on charges of leaking official secrets and abetting destruction of evidence. With this search and seizure, prosecutors intend to clarify in detail whether the higher leadership at the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency intervened in the investigation.

On the same day, the “Special Investigation Team for Truth-Finding on the Jang Yoon-gi Murder Case,” formed by the National Office of Investigation of the National Police Agency, referred Superintendent A, the then-head of the violent crime team at Gwangsan Police Station, to the prosecution while under detention. He has been charged with destruction of evidence and abuse of power.

Superintendent A is accused of discovering decisive bundled evidence—a cable tie to prove the charges of rape and murder—in the front passenger seat of Jang Yoon-gi’s SUV on May 5, the day of the incident, but failing to secure the item as evidence and instead leaving it at the scene. Prosecutors also allege that at the beginning of this month, amid controversy over the inadequate investigation, he ordered a subordinate detective to delete related video evidence without authorization.

The prosecution and police are focusing on indications that the police investigation team at the time either aided or failed to prevent the omission and disposal of crucial evidence that could prove the sexual crime motive. The investigation team handed over the address and password of Jang Yoon-gi’s studio apartment to his father, who is an incumbent senior police officer. During the clean-up of the studio apartment, the father removed and destroyed—by cutting and burning—a “damaged real doll,” which constituted another clue suggesting a sexual crime. Furthermore, the father retrieved both the SUV used in the crime, still bearing traces of the victim’s blood, and the cable tie from inside the vehicle. He stored these at his residence, and the physical evidence was only belatedly secured through the prosecution’s search and seizure operation, revealing serious mishandling of evidence.

Another key issue under investigation is why, despite internal opinions suggesting charges of “rape and other murder,” the investigation team referred the case to the prosecution only on the lesser charge of “murder,” which carries a relatively lighter sentence. During the second hearing of the trial held on July 13, Jang Yoon-gi admitted to the prosecution’s charges of “rape and other murder,” stating, “I followed and kidnapped the victim with the intent of committing a sexual crime and then killed her.”

The prosecution plans to closely question Superintendent A, the police chief, the head of the criminal division, and other members of the leadership about whether there were any attempts to influence or bury the investigation, using the call history and recorded conversations already obtained from Jang Yoon-gi’s father’s mobile phone.

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