Police are expanding a special investigation team and deploying a senior superintendent-level leader to broaden their probe into allegations that the father of Jang Yun-gi, who killed a female high school student in Gwangju, destroyed evidence.
The National Office of Investigation (NOI) of the Korean National Police Agency (KNPA) said Thursday that it had "ordered the dedicated investigation team formed at the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency to be expanded into a 'Special Investigation Team for Fact-Finding Related to the Gwangju Gwangsan Police Station Murder Case' in order to thoroughly uncover various allegations raised during the investigation of the Gwangju female high school student murder case."
The special investigation team will be led by Hong Jang-deuk, a superintendent serving as the KNPA's investigation and human rights officer. It will add a team leader and six investigators from the KNPA's Serious Crime Investigation Division, operating with a total of 27 members.
To ensure independence and fairness, the investigation team has decided to completely exclude the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency's command line from the probe. The team plans to report only its final investigation results directly to the head of the National Office of Investigation.
The measure follows various allegations raised during the investigation of the Gwangju female high school student murder case surrounding inadequate initial investigation and evidence management.
The KNPA said, "We will thoroughly investigate the entire investigation process, including the allegations reported in the media, so that not a single doubt remains."
