Lee Jae-young, the commissioner of the Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency, speaks during a press conference in the Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency building on April 13.YONHAP
The commissioner of North Jeolla’s police department apologized on Tuesday after an officer allegedly destroyed their son’s cell phone after he was accused of attempting to film his teacher without her knowledge.
“I would like to apologize to the residents [of North Jeolla] for showing the public the police at its worst,” Lee Jae-young, the commissioner of the Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency, said during a press briefing. “Following the revision of the Criminal Procedure Act, I believe that we must hold ourselves to the highest standards.”
He explained that police had not been aware of the officer’s reported actions.
“The police precinct that investigated the case […] only became aware of [the allegation] during a comprehensive review of the case,” Lee said. “We will thoroughly investigate not only the reported destruction of evidence but also whether any collusion occurred within the unit.”
He added that police are currently analyzing evidence obtained through a search and seizure.
“What matters is not the officer’s claim [that they did not intend to destroy evidence] but what we find on their seized cell phone and other evidence,” Lee said.
Police allege that the officer, a lieutenant who serves at a local police station in Jeonju, North Jeolla, destroyed and discarded their son’s cell phone after he was accused of attempting to secretly film parts of his homeroom teacher’s body with the device in May.
Jeonbuk Provincial Police AgencyJOONGANG PHOTO
The son was reported on suspicion of attempting to illegally film a person with a camera under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes.
Investigators at Jeonju Wansan Police Station, who took over the case after the teacher filed a complaint, were unable to examine the student’s phone.
Police nevertheless concluded that there was sufficient evidence to support the charge because the student had already admitted to the offense.
Investigators referred the case to prosecutors in June without securing the device.
Police later found that the investigators knew that the officer was the student’s parent but failed to report the relationship to their superiors.
Jang Yun-gi is transferred to the prosecution from the Gwangju Seobu Police Station on the morning of May 14.NEWS1
The allegations surfaced later after the Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency ordered a comprehensive review of cases involving police officers or their family members in the wake of the Jang Yun-gi case in Gwangju, for which the police are accused of botching the investigation into a high school girl’s murder because the suspect is the son of an officer.
Investigators are conducting forensic analysis of the North Jeolla officer’s phone and other devices to determine whether anyone else may have encouraged or assisted in the alleged destruction of evidence.
BY JANG GU-SEUL [lee.jiwon10@joongang.co.kr]
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
