South Korean Interior Minister Apologizes Over Police Handling of Gwangju Murder Case as Ruling Party Seeks to Limit Prosecution Powers

South Korea's interior minister apologized to the nation on July 16 for the police's alleged mishandling of a murder case in Gwangju and pledged reforms to the investigative system. Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung delivered the address at the government complex in Seoul. He said the government would treat the case as a grave matter and work to restore public trust.

"As the interior minister responsible for the people's lives and safety, I express my deep regret and consolation to the victim's family and apologize for causing concern to the people," Yun stated. He added that the government would root out corruption within the police and reform the investigative system after shoddy and cover-up investigations.

The case centers on 23-year-old Jang Yoon-gi, who is accused of killing a 16-year-old female high school student and attempting to kill a 17-year-old male student on May 5.

Yonhap reported that allegations emerged during a supplementary investigation by prosecutors that police in Gwangju leaked investigative material to the suspect's father, who is also a police officer in the city. Yun said the government would adopt a full-scale rotational assignment system to prevent collusion between officers.

It will also introduce voluntary disclosure and recusal systems to end the shielding of colleagues and relatives.

"We will make sure that not only those responsible in this case but all corrupt police officers have no place within the police," he said. The murder and investigation have become a political issue as the ruling Democratic Party pushes to strip the prosecution of supplementary investigation powers.