Gwangju schoolgirl murder shatters faith in police
Internal corruption probe unit established amid crisis of credibility
Jang Yoon-gi is surrounded by police officers and reporters at Gwangju Seobu Police Station in Gwangju, May 14. Newsis
The murder of a high school student in the southwestern city of Gwangju has escalated into a major scandal over alleged police corruption and abuse of power, dealing a serious blow to public trust in law enforcement amid the government's push to hand more investigative authority to the police.
In response to mounting criticism over the mishandling of the case, the National Police Agency on Thursday announced plans to launch a task force on reform and create an in-house unit dedicated to investigating police misconduct as part of efforts to establish stricter oversight measures.
What happened?
The killing occurred after the accused, 23-year-old Jang Yoon-gi, allegedly began to follow Lee Chae-won, 17, down a dimly lit walkway in the early hours of May 5 as she was heading home. Investigators say Jang had parked his car nearby and left the rear passenger door open, then came up from behind Lee and restrained her by the neck.
As she struggled, he allegedly fatally stabbed her with a knife. Hearing her screams, a male high school student ran to her aid, only to be stabbed as well. Jang, the victim and the male student were complete strangers, according to police.
Jang then returned to his car and fled the scene. About 1 kilometer away, he abandoned the vehicle and the weapon in a vacant lot. He switched off his mobile phone and went to a nearby unmanned laundromat, where he washed his bloodstained shirt and charged his e-cigarette, before fleeing by taxi. At about 11:24 a.m., some 11 hours after the attack, police apprehended him near his residence.
On May 8, the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency convened a personal information disclosure review committee and decided to release Jang's identity, citing the brutality of the crime and the severity of the harm caused.
Investigators from the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office enter the Gwangsan Police Station in Gwangju, Tuesday. Newsis
Police initially downplay sex crime motive
Police initially classified the incident as a killing driven by abnormal motives instead of rape-murder — a criminal charge with punishments including death or life imprisonment. A simple murder conviction, by comparison, can carry a sentence as short as five years.
Police later determined that Jang's original target was a Vietnamese woman in her 20s, who he worked with at a restaurant. After being repeatedly rejected by the woman, Jang allegedly broke into her home and sexually assaulted her on May 3, two days before killing the student.
On May 4, the Vietnamese woman reported the assault to police. Jang is believed to have spent that day roaming around her residence, apparently searching for her, though she was no longer in the area.
During police questioning, Jang claimed the killing was not planned, telling investigators that “life felt meaningless,” saying that he had been contemplating suicide and then decided to “take someone with him.” On the basis of these statements and what they described as a lack of direct physical evidence for the rape-murder offense, police initially concluded that it was a homicide with abnormal motives and referred the case to the prosecution.
A senior detective who led the Jang Yoon-gi murder case is surrounded by reporters at the Gwangju District Court in Gwangju, Wednesday. Newsis
Prosecutors reframe as rape-murder
In a supplementary investigation, the Gwangju District Prosecutors’ Office found that life-size sex dolls and mobile phones belonging to the suspect had been destroyed. Prosecutors later confirmed it was his father, a police officer, who had destroyed them.
Prosecutors also found cable ties, which had earlier disappeared from Jang’s car and sparked suspicions of evidence destruction. The cable ties, damaged sex dolls and messages found in the phones were viewed as important evidence in establishing a sexual motive in the crime.
Based on these findings, prosecutors indicted Jang on charges of rape-murder.
It was subsequently revealed that the flawed initial investigation had been overseen by a senior detective with personal ties to Jang’s father. On Monday, the Gwangju District Court issued an arrest warrant for the detective, the head of the violent crime team at Gwangsan Police Station, on charges including leaking official secrets and destruction of evidence.
The bereaved family of Lee Chae-won and her friends cry during a memorial service at the Gwangju Office of Education’s Center for Civic Cooperation Promotion in Gwangju, June 21. Yonhap
Bereaved family demands justice
The bereaved family of the victim has called for a thorough investigation and punishment of everyone involved in the alleged obstruction of justice.
At a press conference held at the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency on Wednesday, the family, along with civic group members, raised suspicions that the police “tried to downplay and cover up the incident,” urging authorities to conduct an investigation and fully uncover the facts behind all allegations.
“If it were their own daughters who had lost their lives so unfairly, would the police have stood by and watched while evidence disappeared and the truth was damaged?” asked the victim’s mother. “I hope that the full truth will be brought to light through the investigation and trial so that no one will ever have to suffer the same harm again.”