Criminal Division Chief Who Revealed 'Jang Yoon-gi Investigation Records' Summoned by Police as Suspect

Division Chief Summoned for Questioning as Suspect at the Time of Incident
Superintendent Park Discloses Report Specifying Rape-Murder Investigation

The police, currently investigating allegations of inadequate investigation into the Jang Yoon-gi case, have summoned the former head of the criminal investigation division who handled the case for questioning as a suspect. The division chief recently released the content of an investigation report that can prove the police did not rule out the possibility of rape-murder charges when referring Jang Yoon-gi on murder charges.

The Special Investigation Unit of the National Police Agency announced on July 27, 2026, that from 2 p.m. that day, they were interrogating Superintendent Park, the former head of the criminal division at Gwangsan Police Station in Gwangju, as a suspect on charges of abuse of authority, obstruction of the exercise of rights, and dereliction of duty.

Gwangsan Police Station, Gwangju. Yonhap News

The Special Investigation Unit is seeking to clarify the reasons why key evidence, such as the cable ties found in the vehicle used in the crime, was not collected in the early stages of the investigation into the Jang Yoon-gi case, as well as suspicions regarding the deletion of recorded evidence and the leak of investigation information. At that time, Team Leader Park, who was in charge of the violent crime unit, was sent to detention on charges of destroying key evidence. The core issue is whether supervisory officials, including the police chief, exerted undue influence over the chain of command in an organized attempt to cover up the incident.

Previously, the Special Investigation Unit had applied for a warrant to detain former division chief Superintendent Park, but this was rejected by the court.

Afterwards, Superintendent Park disclosed the content of the investigation report submitted to the prosecution. The report stated that, as it would be difficult to establish rape-murder charges within the 10-day detention period, the case would be referred as a murder case first. Instead, it listed five grounds, including the mutilation of a sex doll and the rape of a migrant woman. This clarified that the police did not deliberately exclude the possibility of rape-murder charges.

In response, the Korea National Police Workplace Council, which acts as the police union, held a press conference in front of the Gwangju District Prosecutors’ Office that day, calling on prosecutors to clarify their position. The council pointed out that the investigation team had specified that, although the crime was suspected to be sexually motivated, it was difficult to secure direct evidence within the 10-day detention period, necessitating further investigation by prosecutors. They also noted that, from a legal standpoint, the minimum sentence for rape-murder is life imprisonment, which is harsher than for simple murder, and that such legal considerations were reviewed as well.

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