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

A former top police official was indicted on Wednesday for allegedly obstructing a high-profile murder investigation in Gwangju, prosecutors announced. Park Sung-ju, the ex-head of the National Office of Investigation under the National Police Agency, faces charges of abuse of power. He is accused of ordering separate investigations into a suspect's stalking and rape case, as well as his subsequent murder, despite repeated warnings from front-line police officers.

This move was allegedly driven by fear that combining the two cases might reveal the police's inability to prevent the suspect from committing further crimes after his initial offense. The murder case centers around 23-year-old Jang Yoon-gi, who is charged with stabbing to death a 17-year-old female student on a Gwangju street two days after allegedly stalking and raping a Vietnamese acquaintance in the same city.

Prosecutors claim Park's directive hindered a proper examination of the rape and murder charges against Jang, leading to a referral for a simple murder charge, which typically results in a lighter sentence compared to the minimum life imprisonment for rape-murder. Following a supplementary investigation, Jang was subsequently charged with both rape and murder.