Why was former police official Park Sung-ju indicted over the Gwangju murder probe?

He was accused of abuse of power for allegedly ordering separate investigations into the suspect’s stalking-and-rape case and the later murder case. Prosecutors said he gave that order despite repeated objections from front-line officers.

Who is Jang Yoon-gi and what charges is he facing in the Gwangju case?

Jang Yoon-gi is a 23-year-old suspect accused of stabbing and killing a 17-year-old female student on a street in Gwangju. Prosecutors later added rape and murder charges after a supplementary investigation.

How did prosecutors say the handling of the Gwangju case affected the charges?

They said Park’s order kept the Gwangju Gwangsan Police Station from properly reviewing the rape and murder allegations against Jang. As a result, police initially referred him on a simple murder charge before prosecutors later supplemented the case.

Ex-senior police official indicted over alleged obstruction of Gwangju murder probe

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Summary

A former head of the National Office of Investigation was indicted in Gwangju on Wednesday over alleged obstruction of a murder probe. Park Sung-ju is accused of ordering separate investigations into a suspect’s stalking-and-rape case and later murder case. Prosecutors said the move may have prevented a fuller examination of rape-murder charges in the case involving Jang Yoon-gi.

Key Facts

Park Sung-ju was charged with abuse of power by the Gwangju District Prosecutors Office.
The case centers on 23-year-old Jang Yoon-gi, who was accused of stabbing and killing a 17-year-old female student in Gwangju.
Prosecutors said the police first referred Jang on a simple murder charge, which carries a far lighter sentence than rape-murder, before later supplementing the case to add rape and murder charges.

By Yonhap

Published Sep 2, 2026 5:03 pm KST

Former head of the National Office of Investigation under the National Police Agency Park Sung-ju delivers farewell remarks at his retirement ceremony at Seodaemun Police Station in Seoul, June 30. Yonhap

A former head of the National Office of Investigation under the National Police Agency was indicted Wednesday on charges of obstructing an investigation into a high-profile murder case in Gwangju, prosecutors said.

Park Sung-ju was charged with abuse of power for allegedly ordering separate investigations into the suspect's stalking and rape case and his subsequent murder case, according to the Gwangju District Prosecutors Office.

Park allegedly gave such orders despite repeated suggestions to the contrary from front-line police officers, apparently out of fear that combining the two cases involving the same suspect may expose the police's failure to stop the suspect from committing additional crimes following his first offense.

The murder case involves 23-year-old Jang Yoon-gi, who has been charged with stabbing and killing a 17-year-old female student on a street in the city located some 270 kilometers south of Seoul, two days after he allegedly stalked and raped a Vietnamese acquaintance, also in Gwangju.

The Gwangju prosecutors office said Park's order prevented the Gwangju Gwangsan Police Station from properly examining the rape and murder charges against Jang, leading the police to refer him to the prosecution on a simple murder charge, which carries a far lighter sentence than the minimum life imprisonment handed down for rape-murder.

Prosecutors later carried out a supplementary investigation and charged Jang with rape and murder.

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