Jeong Jae-hwan's personal information released on July 16, who is on charges of murdering his friend on July 4 in Gyeongsan, North GyeongsangGYEONGBUK PROVINCIAL POLICE
DAEGU — A man indicted for allegedly stabbing a friend to death and seriously injuring another in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang, deferred to plea in his first hearing and requested an evaluation of his mental state at the time of the crime.
The Daegu District Court held the first hearing in Jeong Jae-hwan's trial on murder and other charges Wednesday morning. Wearing a prison uniform, Jeong kept his head lowered throughout the proceedings.
Jeong is accused of stabbing his friend about 40 times at his apartment in Hayang-eup, Gyeongsan, at 3:40 a.m. on July 4 while drinking with friends. The victim died from the injuries.
Jeong is also accused of assaulting another friend who was at the apartment, causing injuries that required about three weeks of treatment.
At 4:06 a.m., shortly after the attack, Jeong entered a nearby convenience store naked and covered in blood and stole two cartons of milk worth 3,600 won ($2.6).
Prosecutors outlined the charges during Wednesday's hearing, saying Jeong attacked the victims for an unknown reason while they were drinking together.
"The defendant hit and bit the victims on their faces and other parts of their bodies until they were unable to fight back, then took a weapon from the sink and stabbed one of the victims 40 times, killing him," prosecutors said.
Jeong tightly shut his eyes and sobbed as prosecutors described the allegations against him.
Police previously found that the attack occurred after the victim mentioned Jeong's past violence against a romantic partner while they were drinking.
CCTV screen shows Jeong Jae-hwan, naked, holding a milk at a convenience store nearby his apartment in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang, where he allegedly murdered his friend on July 4JOONGANG ILBO
After the attack, Jeong allegedly wandered outside naked before returning to the apartment, where he took a luxury watch and 20 million won in cash from his home. He also allegedly disturbed the scene, such as lying down next to the victim who had died.
Jeong's defense postponed entering a plea on the charges until the next hearing, as his attorney had only recently been retained.
The defense requested a psychiatric evaluation of Jeong's mental state at the time of the alleged crime.
"The case is highly unusual, and the exact motive and circumstances surrounding the crime have not been established, so it’s necessary to evaluate the defendant's mental state at the time," the defense said.
The court said an initial mental evaluation had already been conducted, and it would determine during the trial whether an additional evaluation would be necessary.
The victim's family and acquaintances submitted petitions totaling around 4,000 pages calling for severe punishment of Jeong. An attorney representing the victim's side will submit a written opinion, and the bereaved family is expected to speak at the next hearing.
Jeong's next hearing is scheduled for 10:40 a.m. on Sept. 11.
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.
