▲ Jang Yoon-ki, indicted and detained on charges including rape and murder under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes, enters the courtroom at the Gwangju District Court on the afternoon of the 30th for his sentencing hearing.
Jang Yoon-ki, who attempted to abduct and murder a high school girl for sexual motives, has been sentenced to life imprisonment in the first trial.
The 13th Criminal Division of the Gwangju District Court (Presiding Judge Lee Jung-ho) sentenced Jang Yoon-ki, who was indicted on charges including "rape and murder" under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes, to life imprisonment today (the 30th).
The court also ordered Jang Yoon-ki to wear an electronic tracking device and placed a 10-year employment restriction on him regarding children's, adolescents', and disabled persons' facilities.
The court explained, "All of the defendant's criminal charges are recognized as guilty," and "The prosecutor's argument that the defendant must be permanently isolated from society is well-founded."
Regarding the reasons for sentencing, the court stated, "We took into account factors such as South Korea being a de facto abolitionist nation regarding the death penalty, the absence of an absolute life sentence to bridge the gap between the death penalty and life imprisonment, and Supreme Court precedents."
The court further emphasized, "It is the unanimous view of all judges on the bench that parole must never be granted while the defendant is alive, and the life sentence must be thoroughly enforced."
Jang Yoon-ki was brought to trial on charges of abducting Lee Chae-won, a high school student returning home, in a vehicle around 12:10 AM on May 5 in Wolgye-dong, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, South Jeolla Province, attempting to sexually assault her, and then murdering her.
Jang Yoon-ki's criminal charges also included multiple other sexual offenses, such as stalking and sexually assaulting a part-time female coworker two days prior to the crime, and illegally filming the body of an adolescent female while serving as a social service agent.
The prosecutors conducted supplementary investigations into the case, which was initially forwarded under general murder charges under the Criminal Act, uncovered Jang Yoon-ki's sexual crime motives including abduction and sexual assault, and indicted him on "rape and murder" charges.
The prosecutors, who had demanded the death penalty for Jang Yoon-ki, plan to determine whether to appeal after analyzing the verdict.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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