Police Apply for Arrest Warrant for Criminal Division Chief in 'Jang Yunki Case'

Additional Arrest Sought Just a Day After Investigation Team Leader's Detention

After the head of the investigation team was arrested and transferred to the prosecution for destroying key evidence in the case of Jang Yoon-gi, who murdered a high school girl he had no prior acquaintance with, police have now moved to secure the custody of the chief detective in charge of the case.

On July 16, the Special Investigation Unit of the National Investigation Headquarters announced that it has requested a pretrial detention warrant for Superintendent A, the former chief of the Criminal Division at Gwangsan Police Station in Gwangju, on charges of abuse of authority, obstruction of the exercise of rights, and dereliction of duty. The special unit disclosed that on July 14, it booked both the former chief of Gwangsan Police Station and Superintendent A on criminal charges and, the following day, transferred former investigation team leader Inspector Park to the prosecution under arrest.

Gwangju District Prosecutors' investigators are conducting a search and seizure at the Gwangju Police Agency on the morning of the 15th. Photo by Yonhap News

Superintendent A, who was the chief of the Criminal Division during the Jang Yoon-gi investigation, has also been booked by prosecutors for leaking official secrets and other charges. If the pretrial detention warrant is issued, it is expected that the special unit at the National Police Agency will continue its investigation into Superintendent A.

The special unit is working to clarify why key physical evidence from the early stages of the Jang Yoon-gi case—such as the cable ties found in the vehicle used in the crime—was not secured, and is investigating suspicions regarding the deletion of recorded material and the leaking of investigation information. The central issue is whether the leadership, including the police station chief at the time, exerted undue influence over the chain of command and attempted to conceal the case through organizational cover-up. The authorities believe it is unlikely that the concealment of evidence from a murder case was solely the unilateral action of the front-line investigation team leader.

With Inspector Park handed over to the prosecution, the special unit plans to focus its investigation on the higher-ups. The unit is expected to scrutinize the process by which Jang Yoon-gi was referred on charges of simple murder rather than rape-murder under the direction of Superintendent A.

Meanwhile, the special unit held an interim briefing at the Gwangju Police Agency the previous day, revealing that Inspector Park, who led the first phase of the investigation, had ordered, "Do not focus on sexual motives," thereby narrowing the scope of the inquiry. Even though there were opinions within the violent crimes team that the charge of rape-murder should be considered, they were not accepted, and reports from scientific investigators recommending a review of sexual motive were excluded from the investigation records even after they were received.

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