A man identified only as A holds a one-person protest near Gwangsan Police Station in Gwangju. [Photo provided by A]
A man identified only as A holds a one-person protest near Gwangsan Police Station in Gwangju. [Photo provided by A]

A man investigated as a suspect in a dating violence case eight years ago is calling for a reinvestigation, alleging he was subjected to coercive tactics during the police probe.

The man, identified only as A, held a press conference Tuesday in front of the Gwangju Police Agency, claiming that Gwangsan Police Station had manipulated its investigation into the dating violence case. "If this had been corrected at the time, the Jang Yun-gi incident today would never have happened," he said.

He said he had the right to a fair investigation but alleged that the probe was conducted under duress. "I was led to confess, and I believe statements favorable to me were not properly reflected in the investigation's findings," he said.

He went on to say that public distrust of police today stems from incidents like this one eight years ago, and urged authorities to reopen the case.

A was arrested on an emergency basis in October 2018 on charges of assaulting his then-girlfriend while she was in his vehicle in the Gwangsan-gu area and was subsequently investigated.

He has alleged that the investigation was manipulated and biased, pointing to the fact that the victim's father was a retired senior police officer.

Both police and prosecutors separately investigated the allegations but concluded there were no criminal grounds to charge those involved in the investigation, closing the case without referral or indictment.


husn7@heraldcorp.com