Jang Yoon-ki has been indicted for the murder of a high school student in Gwangju, whom he killed on the street without any prior acquaintance. Prosecutors determined through further investigation that sexual assault was the primary motive behind the crime.
According to the legal community on June 2, the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office's Criminal Division 3, led by Chief Prosecutor Kim Jin-hee, has charged Jang with murder under the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes.
On May 5, at approximately 12:10 a.m., Jang fatally stabbed 17-year-old Lee Chae-won near Namseong University in the Gwangsan District of Gwangju. He also injured a male student who attempted to intervene.
Immediately after the attack, Jang fled in his vehicle and discarded both the car and the weapon about a kilometer from the crime scene. He turned off his phone and washed his blood-stained clothes at a nearby laundromat, demonstrating a calculated effort to evade capture. Despite these actions, Jang was apprehended by police at 11:24 a.m., just 11 hours after the incident, near his residence.
During police questioning, Jang reportedly stated that he was contemplating suicide when he saw the passing high school student and decided to kill her. The weapon used in the crime was purchased prior to the attack. Initially, police treated the case as a random murder, but prosecutors concluded through additional investigation that Jang had planned to abduct Lee for sexual assault.
Prosecutors cited evidence that Jang attempted to overpower Lee from behind and drag her toward his vehicle, as well as similarities between this incident and a previous sexual assault he committed against a foreign female coworker in her twenties.
While police initially charged Jang with general murder, prosecutors have now applied charges of rape and murder. The minimum sentence for general murder is five years in prison, whereas the penalty for rape and murder can be death or life imprisonment. Additionally, prosecutors have added charges of assault, attempted murder, confinement, and violations of the Stalking Punishment Act related to the previous assault on the female coworker.
In response to Jang's indictment, Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho expressed his condolences to Lee's family on Facebook, noting that just two days prior, they had publicly appealed for severe punishment for Jang. "As a father of two daughters myself, I can hardly fathom the grief of parents who have lost their beloved child overnight," he wrote.
Jung emphasized that the Ministry of Justice will ensure strict penalties for Jang's crimes, as well as for heinous acts targeting vulnerable groups such as youth and women. He pledged to prevent offenders from receiving unjust leniency through claims of mental instability or false remorse during trial.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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