Evidence Found on Jang Yoon-gi's Phone Suggests He Knew Victim, Contradicting His Claims

Police are investigating evidence suggesting that Jang Yoon-gi (23), who claimed his crime was impulsive, had been unilaterally aware of the victim before the murder.
The Special Investigation Unit of the National Office of Investigation held a press briefing today (July 15) at the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency to announce the interim results of their investigation into suspected misconduct in the Jang Yoon-gi case.
The special unit announced that they have discovered evidence suggesting that Jang had been unilaterally aware of the victim, the late Lee Chae-won (16), long before the crime took place.
While the unit did not disclose specific details regarding the evidence, they explained that it was found on a mobile phone (a device without a service plan) that Jang was carrying at the time of his arrest.
An official from the special unit stated, "While Lee did not know Jang, there is evidence suggesting that Jang had been planning to target her." The official added, "As this is an ongoing investigation and out of concern for potential secondary victimization, we cannot disclose the specific details."
The special unit is also investigating why the Gwangsan Police Station investigation team, which was in charge of the murder case, did not look into these circumstances despite having been aware of them early on.
Jang, who had consistently claimed during the police investigation that the crime was impulsive, admitted during his second trial at the Gwangju District Court on July 13 that the crime was committed with the intent of sexual assault.
When he was referred to the prosecution on May 14, he had denied that the crime was premeditated, claiming to reporters that he did not know the victim was a high school student.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.