Acting police chief vows to revamp entire investigation system

The nation's acting police chief on Monday reiterated his commitment to overhauling the entire police investigation system amid an ongoing controversy over the alleged mishandling of a high-profile murder case in the southwestern city of Gwangju.

Yoo Jae-seong, acting commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency (KNPA), told reporters that the police will use the Gwangju case as an opportunity to thoroughly overhaul the entire investigation system and restore public trust.

The controversy centers on allegations that police in Gwangju, 270 kilometers south of Seoul, leaked investigative material to the murder suspect's father, who is also a police officer in the city.

The suspect, 23-year-old Jang Yoon-gi, 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.

Yoo said the police will launch an investigation reform task force this month to prevent a recurrence of such a controversy and move forward with a rotational personnel system, which has faced strong internal opposition, after gathering feedback from of ...