Horrific KakaoTalk Proof of "Van Kidnapping" Prompts 180-Degree Turn From Jang Yoon-gi: "Just a Friend's Joke"

The third trial for Jang Yoon-gi, a high school girl murder suspect indicted and detained on charges including rape and murder, was held this morning at the Gwangju District Court.

During the hearing, the prosecution submitted KakaoTalk chat logs exchanged between Jang and a high school classmate as evidence.

According to reports, the chat messages included statements from Jang such as, "I want to kidnap a high school girl," and "We can just kidnap her with a van."

The prosecution explained that these chat contents prove Jang harbored abnormal sexual perceptions in his daily life.

Jang's side immediately pushed back.

Jang's court-appointed defense counsel did not deny the fact that the conversations took place.

However, the counsel emphasized that it was not Jang, but his chatting partner, who initiated the dialogue.

The defense argued that the friend brought up the topic first to instigate it, while Jang merely responded or played along.

Furthermore, the defense raised questions, asking whether the prosecution might have confused the senders and recipients of certain messages and submitted them incorrectly, while requesting a clear distinction between them.

Initially, the prosecution applied for witnesses regarding the high school classmate and a fellow social service worker who were Jang's chat partners, but withdrew the request and submitted phone statement investigation reports and phone call recording files as alternative evidence.

The court decided to hold not only the witness examinations but also the evidence reviews for videos and documents behind closed doors, taking into account the details and methods of the crime.

Once this trial concludes, the fourth trial scheduled for next month is expected to involve the interrogation of the defendant, Jang Yoon-gi.

Reported by Kim Jiuk | Video by Ahn Jun-hyeok | Graphics by Yook Do-hyun | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.