Prosecutors Begin Developing DNA Investigation Method to Verify Relatives Beyond Third Degree

Increase in Cases Requiring Verification of Extended Kinship... "Accelerating Research on Investigation Techniques Using Advanced Technologies Like Genetics"

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] The prosecution is developing an analysis method that can identify kinship relationships up to the third degree relatives beyond parent-child relationships using only DNA information. This aims to quickly reconstruct incidents at crime scenes requiring genetic testing, and it also reflects the judgment that more support from the prosecution may be needed in investigations using DNA, as seen in the recent 'Gumi 3-year-old girl death case.'

According to the legal community on the 6th, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office recently began research on ways to identify broader kinship relationships using SNP (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms).

SNP refers to a single base difference in the DNA sequence. The currently widely used kinship identification technology in Korea for confirming family relationships is the STR (Short Tandem Repeat) test, which is limited to parent-child relationships and is difficult to determine if the DNA preservation condition is poor, thus limiting its applicability.

The recent trend of increasing families with no children or only one child also influenced this research. A Supreme Prosecutors' Office official said, "There are increasing cases where it is necessary to identify the identity of victims without direct family members or to confirm kinship beyond the third degree due to the death of direct ascendants," adding, "In such cases, additional methods like SNP analysis are required beyond existing methods." In fact, SNP testing can broadly identify kinship up to the third degree. Since it does not examine the entire DNA, partial DNA damage does not affect the results.

The Supreme Prosecutors' Office plans to build a kinship prediction system for relatives beyond the third degree using SNP analysis and create manuals and interpretation guidelines for practical application. Through this, it is expected to be used in various fields such as crime scenes, identification of disaster victims, kinship confirmation related to nationality acquisition, separated families, and families of Korean War casualties.

Additionally, they plan to develop an analysis method that can simultaneously estimate various information obtainable from DNA even from trace amounts of evidence. Technologies that identify human tissues and estimate age are representative examples. This is expected to be used when only parts of a corpse are found in violent crimes and the identity cannot be confirmed, or when estimating the age of perpetrators in sexual assault cases.

A lawyer formerly with the Supreme Prosecutors' Office said, "Although the scope of prosecution investigations has undergone significant changes compared to the past, the prosecution's forensic and examination activities related to criminal investigations are expected to continue in a supportive role regardless of investigations," and predicted, "Considering the increasing diversification and sophistication of crimes, research and development activities on scientific investigation techniques by the prosecution will continue steadily."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.