Police officer accused of destroying evidence of son's illegal filming

The Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency / Courtesy of the agency

A senior police officer in the southwestern city of Jeonju has been under police investigation for destroying a mobile phone allegedly used by his son for illegal filming, officials said Tuesday.

The officer, who holds the rank of inspector, is accused of smashing and discarding his 18-year-old son's mobile phone in May after learning it had been used to illegally film a teacher.

The son, a high school student in Jeonju, some 200 kilometers south of Seoul, was reportedly caught secretly filming parts of his homeroom teacher's body with the device and was subsequently reported to the police by the teacher.

The police sent the son's case to the Jeonju District Prosecutors Office last month, and prosecutors are now reviewing whether to indict him.

The Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency has been conducting a separate investigation into the inspector and his wife over allegations that they destroyed evidence. Investigators have also searched their home.

Despite the investigation, however, it is unlikely that the inspector will be punished, as the Criminal Act exempts a relative from punishment for hiding an offender or destroying evidence.

Against this backdrop, prosecutors have reportedly not yet decided whether to launch a direct investigation into the senior police officer.