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🇰🇷 South Korea /Crime & Justice

Police expand investigation unit amid misconduct allegations in student murder case

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • South Korea's National Investigation Headquarters has expanded its special investigation team to a special investigation unit to probe alleged misconduct in the investigation of the murder of a female high school student.
  • The expanded unit, led by a Commissioner, will increase from 27 to 41 members, including personnel for a secondary victimization investigation team and the digital forensics center.
  • The investigation includes searches of offices of high-ranking police officials and follows previous searches of a police station related to the case, as police vow thorough investigation.

South Korea's National Investigation Headquarters has significantly bolstered its special investigation team, transforming it into a special investigation unit to thoroughly examine allegations of mishandling the investigation into the murder of a female high school student.

The probe centers on suspicions of misconduct by police in the case involving Jang Yoon-gi, who is accused of murdering a high school girl. The special investigation unit, now led by a Commissioner, will comprise 41 members, a substantial increase from the previous 27. This expansion includes dedicated teams for investigating secondary victimization and enhancing digital forensics capabilities.

The investigation is proceeding extensively with an expanded scope of subjects and numerous searches, so the special investigation team has been expanded and reorganized into a special investigation unit today for a more prompt fact-finding.

— National Investigation HeadquartersExplaining the reason for expanding the investigation team.

Authorities conducted searches of the offices of high-ranking police officials, including the Gwangju Police Agency chief, the head of the violent crimes division, and the head of the investigation division. These actions follow earlier searches of the Gwangsan Police Station chief's office, which were carried out by the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office.

The police have pledged to conduct a meticulous investigation to leave no stone unturned regarding the entire process. Jang Yoon-gi is currently on trial for the murder of Lee Chae-won, 17, which occurred in Gwangju in early May. The case has drawn public scrutiny due to allegations of a flawed investigation and potential collusion, with suspicions that investigative information may have been leaked to Jang's father.

We will thoroughly investigate the entire process without any doubts.

— National Investigation HeadquartersPledging a comprehensive inquiry into the case.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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