Police launch major reform after Gwangju murder case collusion, evidence tampering allegations
Korea’s police launched an outside-led task force and a new internal corruption unit after allegations of evidence tampering and internal conspiracy in the Gwangju high school murder investigation.
Memorial supporters for the late Lee Chae-won, the high school student killed in Gwangju, stage a protest in the lobby of the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency on July 8, condemning what they describe as the police’s investigation and alleged cover-up of the case.NEWS1
The Korean National Police Agency (KNPA) launched a sweeping overhaul of its investigative practices on Thursday, creating a reform task force led by outside experts and a new internal corruption investigation unit, after allegations of evidence tampering and internal collusion in the Gwangju murder case sparked public backlash.
"In connection with the Jang Yun-gi case, we will prevent similar cases from recurring and establish stricter and more transparent oversight measures for police investigations," the KNPA said.
On May 5, 23-year-old Jang fatally stabbed a 17-year-old high school student and seriously injured her male classmate in Gwangsan District. Subsequently, authorities say that Jang's father, an active-duty police officer, had disposed of evidence suggesting a possible sexual-assault motive and had continued driving the crime vehicle for roughly two weeks afterward, while the original investigating team had failed to seize a key piece of evidence and had stayed in repeated contact with Jang's father. The events have prompted the arrest of the lead investigating officer on an evidence destruction charge and the administrative leave of several other officers.
In an effort to regain public trust, the KNPA said it will debut a task force for restoring trust in police investigations and an internal misconduct investigation unit reporting directly to the head of the National Office of Investigation. The reform task force will be composed of a majority of outside experts, including its chairperson, to ensure objectivity and independence.
The task force will examine systemic weaknesses across the police investigative system to design measures for restoring public trust, while also conducting a nationwide review of police stations to determine whether cases of inadequate investigation or cover-ups have occurred elsewhere. The new internal misconduct unit will be dedicated to responding rigorously to investigative misconduct and collusion at the local level.
Jang Yun-gi, who is accused of killing a teenage high school student in Gwangju, is transferred to prosecutors at the Gwangju Seobu Police Precinct on May 14.NEWS1
Acting KNPA Commissioner Yoo Jae-seong, who abruptly cut short a trip to the United States over the fallout, is set to return to Korea early on Friday morning. Upon arrival, his first move will be to convene a video conference with police leadership nationwide. At that meeting, Yoo is expected to discuss detailed implementation plans for the new reform measures and express the leadership's commitment to rooting out misconduct.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
