Chief of Criminal Division in Jang Yoon-gi Case Says "NOI Blocked Case Consolidation"

"Merger Request Denied Three Times by NOI"

"No Instructions Were Given to Delete Cable Tie Video"

The former chief of the Criminal Division at Gwangsan Police Station, who is accused of supervising a "lenient and inadequate investigation" in the case of the murder of Gwangju high school student Jang Yoon-gi (23), appeared for a pretrial detention hearing and denied the charges.

Detective Superintendent A, former Chief of the Criminal Division at Gwangsan Police Station in Jeonnam Gwangju Integrated Metropolitan City, who is under investigation for instructing the separate investigation of murder and sex crime cases related to the Jang Yoon-gi incident, is seen leaving the Gwangju District Court on the 21st after completing the pre-trial detention hearing. Photo by Yonhap News.

Choi Yoon-young, chief judge in charge of warrants at the Gwangju District Court, held a pretrial detention hearing (warrant substantive review) on the morning of the 21st for Inspector A of the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency (former chief of the Criminal Division at Gwangsan Police Station), who is charged with abuse of authority and dereliction of duty.

Upon entering the courtroom around 10:30 a.m., Inspector A responded to reporters' questions about whether there had been any improper orders, stating, "There were no improper instructions either from senior officers or myself during the investigation." He added, "I apologize to the victim's family. I made efforts to uncover the truth of the case, but ultimately, I am sorry that it led to controversy over an inadequate investigation," and bowed his head.

After the hearing, which lasted approximately 1 hour and 35 minutes, Inspector A's legal representative met with reporters and refuted the core allegations. The attorney claimed, "We had intended to merge the case of Jang Yoon-gi's stalking and sexual assault against a foreign woman with the murder case of the high school student in this investigation, but the National Office of Investigation (NOI) instructed that this was not allowed."

The legal representative emphasized, "From the standpoint of the chief of the criminal division, merging the two cases was essential to prove whether the murder was committed with a sexual motive; therefore, between May 6 and 10, we formally requested a combined investigation three times through the Violent Crimes Department at the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency, but all requests were denied." He added, "Despite the outcome of the case being a result of NOI supervision, it is extremely unfair for us to bear responsibility."

In addition, Inspector A completely denied allegations of instructing the deletion of footage from the on-site forensic investigation of the key evidence, the 'cable tie.' Inspector A's side explained, "I first learned of the video deletion only on July 5, well after being reassigned to another police station on May 14," and clarified, "At the time, I was the very first in an internal meeting to suggest that the head of the violent crimes team who deleted the footage without authorization should be arrested, so I had no prior knowledge of or gave any orders to delete the video."

During the incident in May, Inspector A, then chief of the Criminal Division at Gwangsan Police Station, is accused of swiftly transferring the case to the prosecution under charges of “simple murder,” for which the minimum sentence is five years, rather than “murder for the purpose of rape,” which carries a minimum sentence of life imprisonment, and of neglecting investigative responsibility by separating and transferring the connected sexual assault case to another department.

Meanwhile, with Inspector A attributing his actions to direction from the NOI, investigative attention has now shifted to the highest supervisory body in the police, the National Office of Investigation. On the morning of July 21, the special investigative unit of the NOI and the Gwangju District Prosecutors’ Office, which are investigating misconduct allegations in the Jang Yoon-gi case, conducted simultaneous raids on departments related to the NOI.

The court’s decision on whether to issue a warrant for Inspector A’s detention is expected late tonight. Depending on the result, it is anticipated that the direction of the investigation into possible case downplaying or cover-up by senior police officials will be determined.

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