Gwangju police chief's office raided over murder case cover-up probe
South Korean investigators searched the Gwangju police chief's office and six other locations amid allegations officers helped a colleague's son evade scrutiny in a high-profile murder case.
- Investigators raided seven locations, including the Gwangju police chief's office.
- Suspect's father, a police officer, allegedly colluded to destroy evidence.
- Acting police chief Yoo Jae-seong apologised and cut short US trip.
South Korea's National Police Agency special investigation team raided the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency on Saturday, 11 July 2026, expanding a probe into alleged evidence destruction and collusion surrounding the prosecution of a young murder suspect.
The team began the search and seizure operation at around 6am, targeting seven locations in total. Three were within the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency, including the commissioner's office, two were at the Gwangsan Police Station, including the station chief's office, and the remainder were current offices of senior officials who had overseen the case.
The move marks an expansion of the investigation beyond the Gwangsan Police Station, which directly handled the original murder case, to the wider command structure of the Gwangju Police Agency.
At the centre of the case is Jang Yoon-gi, 23, who was arrested and detained in May 2026 on charges of murdering a high school girl as she returned home in Jeollanam-do and Gwangju, and of attempting to murder another 17-year-old student. He was transferred to the prosecution at Gwangju Seo-bu Police Station on 14 May 2026.
The Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office, conducting its own supplementary investigation, uncovered that Jang's father, a serving police executive, had destroyed critical evidence connected to his son's case.
An internal police investigation team subsequently confirmed that Senior Superintendent Park, the Gwangsan Police Station officer who had led the murder investigation, handed key evidence over to Jang's father.
Police first held Park on suspicion of evidence destruction on Monday, 6 July 2026. A court later granted a formal warrant for his arrest on Wednesday, 8 July 2026, citing concerns over flight risk and the possible destruction of further evidence.
Separately, prosecutors' investigators entered the criminal investigation division of Gwangju Gwangsan Police Station on Tuesday, 7 July 2026, as part of a compulsory investigation into the alleged cover-up.
The Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office, running its own parallel probe, named the Gwangsan Police Station chief and the head of its criminal investigation division as suspects on Friday, 10 July 2026. The scope of the investigation now appears to extend beyond those directly involved in destroying evidence to more senior levels of command.
Acting National Police Agency Commissioner Yoo Jae-seong cut short an official visit to the United States, where he had been attending the United Nations Chiefs of Police Summit, and returned to South Korea on Friday, 10 July 2026.
Speaking at a meeting of senior police officials that day, Yoo apologised for the controversy. "I deeply apologise for the pain inflicted on the bereaved family members that is difficult to heal," he said. "I am also very sorry for disappointing the public." He added that those responsible would be "punished to the fullest extent permitted by the law and regulations."
The Korean National Police Agency said on Thursday, 9 July 2026, that it would form a task force, chaired by an outside figure and staffed mostly by external experts, to review past investigations nationwide and overhaul the broader investigative system. It also said it would establish an internal corruption investigation unit reporting directly to the head of its National Investigation Headquarters.
