On Tuesday (7 July), authorities in South Korea requested an arrest warrant for a police inspector who is suspected of destroying evidence and leaking official information of a murder case.
The man was the leader of the team investigating the case involving his colleague’s son.
Authorities have also conducted a search and seizure at Gwangsan Police Station in Gwangju and the residence of the inspector.
In May, 23-year-old Jang Yoonki murdered a high school student named Lee Chaewon.
It is also believed that he had intended to rape the victim.
On 5 May, Jang parked his vehicle in a secluded area with the passenger door wide open.
He then approached a teenage girl walking on the street from behind and subdued her by wrapping his arms around her neck.
Jang subsequently dragged her into the vehicle and stabbed her.
Source: MBC via Asia Business Daily
During the process, he also seriously injured a male student who tried to intervene.
The incident was captured on CCTV.
Source: SBS
Investigations also found evidence of the victim’s bloodstains on the exterior of the vehicle.
During the trial, Jang claimed he had not premeditated the crime.
He added that he was planning to take his own life and wanted to take someone with him.
However, during his arrest on the same day, police found a life-sized sex doll in his apartment, with notable damages on its chest and neck areas.
Additionally, Jang allegedly had notes from high school which repeatedly mentioned “kidnapping by vehicle and sexual crimes”.
As such, the prosecution changed Jang’s accusations from murder charges to murder charges including rape, Maeil Business Newspaper reported.
The investigation team is suspected of leaking information to Jang’s father, an active police officer.
This included details such as whether an arrest warrant would be applied for his son.
They also allegedly gave him the address and front door password of Jang’s rented room, which allowed him to discard the sex doll.
Source: Newsis via Weekly Chosun
As such, the police are currently investigating the father’s potential collusion with the investigation team.
The team is also accused of failing to secure cable ties in Jang’s vehicle, which are believed to be evidence of the premeditated kidnapping.
Additionally, the head of the team is believed to have ordered a team member to delete dashcam footage from Jang’s vehicle.
However, police said nothing has been confirmed so far, Yonhap News reported.
Police removed the investigation team from duty on Monday (6 July) due to the allegations of destroyed evidence.
The team consisted of the lead inspector and four other members.
This followed a request for an arrest warrant for the lead inspector, who is reportedly denying all charges, on Tuesday.
“We have excluded the investigation team from duty to ensure fairness and objectivity in the investigation,” a police official explained, according to Yonhap News.
“A dedicated investigation team formed at the headquarters level is thoroughly investigating the related allegations.”
Jang will face his next trial on 13 July at the Gwangju District Court.
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Featured image adapted from News1 via The JoongAng, Newsis via Weekly Chosun.