Alleged Gwangju murderer admits premeditation, does not address possible sexual motive
During his first trial, the man accused of fatally stabbing a high school girl in Gwangju admitted that the crime was premeditated, but he did not address the charge that the murder was committed in the course of an attempted rape.
Jang Yun-gi, who is accused of killing a high school student whom he did not know in Gwangju, is transferred to prosecutors from the Gwangju Seobu Police Precinct on May 14.NEWS1
A man accused of allegedly killing a high school girl whom he had never met in Gwangju admitted during his first trial that the crime was premeditated, though he did not address the charge that the murder was committed in the course of an attempted rape.
On Monday, the Gwangju District Court held the first hearing for Jang Yun-gi, who has been indicted and detained on charges including murder in the course of rape, injury in the course of rape and attempted murder under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes.
He is accused of fatally stabbing Lee Chae-won, a high school girl, in Gwangsan District, Gwangju, at around 12:10 a.m. on May 5, as well as injuring a high school boy who attempted to help the victim.
Jang’s attorney told the court that he admitted to killing Lee, attempting to murder the high school boy and committing other offenses against a foreign woman who used to be his coworker.
“He also acknowledges that the crimes were premeditated — a point that he had denied during the investigation,” the attorney said.
“We will conduct an additional review of whether Lee was killed for the purpose of committing rape or another sexual offense and present our position at the next hearing,” the attorney added.
Jang broke into his former coworker’s house on May 3. He then sexually assaulted her and held her captive for about 13 hours, according to prosecutors.
After learning that the victim had reported him to the police, he allegedly purchased a knife and gloves and withdrew 1 million won ($650) in cash from his bank account — preparations that prosecutors said indicate that he was considering not only harming her but fleeing after doing so.
When he failed to find her, Jang allegedly turned his attention to Lee, who had been walking home at the time. Prosecutors said that he followed her by car for about 1.2 kilometers (0.75 miles) before approaching her.
The prosecution argued that Jang attempted to drag Lee toward his vehicle, with the intention of committing a sexual crime. When she resisted, he stabbed her to death.
Prosecutors also claimed that Jang attacked the male student, who rushed to the scene after hearing Lee scream, and tried to kill him with the knife.
Women’s rights activists hold a news conference to call for severe punishment in the Jang Yun-gi murder case outside the Gwangju District Court on June 22. Jang was accused of killing a high school student whom he did not know in Gwangju.YONHAP
The prosecution further accused Jang of taking steps to destroy evidence and flee after the crime, including washing his clothes at a laundromat and getting a haircut at a salon.
Evidence, such as an analysis of Jang’s mobile phone, CCTV recordings, black-box footage from the defendant’s car and Lee’s autopsy report, is expected to be presented during the trial.
The victim’s family called for severe punishment during the hearing.
A lawyer representing Lee’s family said that Jang’s crimes could qualify as a special aggravating factor under the Supreme Court’s sentencing guidelines.
“Jang submitted a statement saying that he hoped to obtain professional certifications while serving his sentence,” the lawyer said. “But the victim’s time has stopped forever. We ask the court to consider her family’s suffering.”
Women’s rights groups in Gwangju and South Jeolla held a news conference outside the courthouse that same day. They argued that the case demonstrated “how repeated violence against women has escalated into murder” and urged the court to impose a heavy sentence.
Jang’s next hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. on July 13.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
