The Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency, already reeling from allegations that it botched its investigation into the Jang Yun-gi case, came under further criticism at a parliamentary audit. Gwangju Police Commissioner Yang Young-woo said there had been shortcomings in the probe.
The National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee held the audit of the Gwangju and South Jeolla provincial police agencies beginning at 3:30 p.m. on the 22nd. The session centered on criticism of what lawmakers called a lax and lenient investigation into the Jang case.
Rep. Lee Sang-sik of the Democratic Party of Korea described the case as a "relationship-based crime committed by police" and said bluntly that "every one of you is a co-conspirator." Lee added, "Yesterday was the first Police Day after judicial reform. Think how much public trust in the police has collapsed because of you."
Rep. Yoon Kun-young, also of the Democratic Party, said the Gwangju agency bore responsibility and noted that "the number of officers disciplined in a single year at the Gwangju agency is three times higher than at other metropolitan and provincial agencies, and that must be corrected."
Criticism also came from the People Power Party. Rep. Kim Ye-ji said the manual requires officers to formally register high-risk stalking cases even when the victim does not want them filed, and to secure the victim's safety through the day after a report is made. She said police failed to follow those steps and an innocent citizen lost their life as a result.
The committee had summoned a senior inspector surnamed Park, head of the violent crime unit at Gwangsan Police Station who led the Jang investigation, to explain why he applied a murder charge rather than rape-murder. Park, who has been indicted and detained, did not appear, citing his trial. The committee plans to discuss steps including issuing a compulsory attendance order or filing a complaint for violating the law on testimony before the National Assembly.
"In the early stage of the investigation we focused on Jang Yun-gi's act of killing itself, and it appears there were shortcomings as a result," Yang said. "All of our officers will steel themselves and start anew."
At the audit of the South Jeolla police, the focus was on the inadequate recovery of remains of victims of the Dec. 29 Jeju Air crash. A renewed search that began a year after authorities decided on Jan. 15 last year to end the operation has turned up 1,709 additional pieces of remains so far. Lawmakers also faulted delays in the investigation. Rep. Joo Ho-young of the People Power Party said, "A year after the disaster, not a single person has been referred to prosecutors," adding that "there are many complaints that families of the victims were not even properly briefed."
South Jeolla Police Commissioner Kim Ho-seung said halting the search had been inappropriate and apologized, saying, "We should have examined the remains thoroughly, and I regret that we did not."