Police in Gwangju are weighing whether to publicly release the identity of a 24-year-old man accused of fatally stabbing a high school girl and attacking a high school boy with a knife late at night.
The Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency said May 6 that it plans to review whether to disclose the suspect’s personal information on May 7 or 8. The man, identified by his surname Jang, was arrested on an emergency basis on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.
Police said Jang is accused of stabbing a 17-year-old second-year high school student, identified as A, on a sidewalk along a major road in Wolgye-dong, Gwangsan-gu, at about 12:11 a.m. He is also accused of swinging the weapon at a 17-year-old boy, identified as B.
Under South Korea’s law on disclosing personal information of suspects in certain serious crimes, authorities may release a suspect’s identity if conditions are met, including severe harm, cruelty of the method, sufficient evidence, the public’s right to know and the public interest.
Police said they consider Jang eligible for review and are forming a deliberation committee of up to 10 members, including internal and external participants. They plan to seek an arrest warrant later May 6, and a pre-arrest hearing is scheduled for May 7.
Investigators said Jang fled after the attack and was arrested at about 11:24 a.m. near his home in Wolgye-dong.
In questioning, Jang told police, “Life wasn’t fun, so I was thinking about suicide and decided to commit the crime,” according to police. He was reported to have decided to attack after seeing A walking alone.
A was taken to a hospital but died. B was injured but was not reported to be in life-threatening condition. A had hoped to become an emergency medical technician and was attacked while returning home after studying late, according to reports.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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