'High school girl murderer' Jang Yoon-gi [Yonhap News file photo]

Internal testimony from within the police has emerged, suggesting that the decision by the local investigation team handling the "Jang Yoon-gi case" to charge him with simple murder was made under the guidance of the National Office of Investigation (NOI) of the National Police Agency.

With the NOI currently tasked with uncovering the truth behind allegations of "lenient" and "shoddy" investigations by the Gwangju Gwangsan Police Station, the repercussions of the "Jang Yoon-gi case" are expected to intensify if the claims made by frontline officers are verified.

According to reports compiled by Yonhap News on the 21st, multiple police officers who participated in the investigation from the arrest of Jang Yoon-gi (23) to his referral to the prosecution claimed that "the Gwangsan Police Station, which was in charge of the case, reported major developments to the NOI and decided on the direction of handling each issue based on their instructions."

Although the Jang Yoon-gi case was assigned to one violent crime team within the Gwangsan Police Station’s detective division based on the duty roster for the day of the incident, support teams from various departments were deployed to determine the motive for the crime and collect evidence.

Many officers who participated in this investigative support testified that the NOI’s input served as the "guiding force" that set the direction of the investigation from the very beginning.

Furthermore, it was claimed that the NOI also directed the decision to disregard the frontline investigation team’s opinion that Jang should be charged with rape-murder.

A police official who participated in the investigation of the Jang Yoon-gi case stated, "The Jang Yoon-gi case was a 'major case' that drew national attention from the moment we began tracking the suspect," adding, "In such cases, the decision-making structure is not one where officers on the ground can make arbitrary judgments or reach conclusions on their own."

The official further claimed, "I remember that a member of the leadership, who had argued for applying the charge of rape-murder, changed their stance after receiving input from the NOI that we should proceed cautiously due to a lack of direct evidence, such as a confession from Jang."

These successive allegations emerging from within the police have come to light as middle-ranking officials who were on the front lines of the case, such as the violent crime team leader (Inspector) and the detective division chief (Superintendent), are being arrested or facing the possibility of arrest on charges including destruction of evidence and abuse of power.

Police officials also testified to the media the previous day that the reason the sexual assault and stalking crimes Jang committed two days before the murder of the high school girl were investigated separately from the murder was also due to the direction of the NOI.

If it is proven true that the NOI, which is currently investigating the allegations of a "lenient" and "shoddy" investigation, was the entity in charge of directing the "Jang Yoon-gi case" and was the superior authority involved, the resulting fallout is expected to grow uncontrollably.

The NOI’s special investigation team and the Gwangju District Prosecutors’ Office, which are investigating the suspected misconduct in the Jang Yoon-gi case, simultaneously conducted a search and seizure of relevant departments at the NOI this morning.