Jang Yoon-gi Says "I Am Sorry"... Why Did He Suddenly Submit a Letter of Apology?

It has been confirmed that Jang Yoon-gi, who was arrested and indicted on charges of attempting to sexually assault and subsequently murdering a high school girl in downtown Gwangju, submitted a letter of apology to the court ahead of his next trial.

Jang, who is being held on charges including sexual assault murder and attempted murder, submitted the letter to the Gwangju District Court yesterday.

Some interpret this as a belated attempt to apologize following the rapidly worsening public sentiment triggered by recent SBS reports regarding allegations of collusion between Jang's father, a police inspector surnamed Jang, and the police investigation team.

Previously, in a handwritten statement submitted before his first trial, Jang sparked public outrage by focusing on his plans to obtain certifications while in custody rather than apologizing to the victim and the bereaved family.

Regarding this, the legal representative for the victim, Lee Chae-won, criticized Jang's lack of remorse during the first trial on June 22, stating, "The victim's time stopped forever at the age of 16, yet Jang Yoon-gi is planning his own future even at this moment."

There has been ongoing criticism that the mechanical submission of letters of apology by defendants without genuine remorse has become a mere formality to seek sentence reductions in criminal trials.

In response, Minister of Justice Jeong Seong-ho stated on June 2, "We will strictly punish heinous crimes against the vulnerable, including Jang Yoon-gi's offenses, under a zero-tolerance policy," adding, "We will ensure that no unfair sentence reductions are granted through excuses such as claims of mental or physical weakness or insincere letters of apology during the trial."

Jang Yoon-gi's next trial is scheduled for July 13.

Jang was indicted on charges of attempting to sexually assault 16-year-old Lee Chae-won, who was returning home on a road in Wolgye-dong, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, around 12:10 a.m. on May 5. When the victim resisted, he murdered her with a weapon and also attempted to murder a 17-year-old identified as A, who tried to intervene.

Reported by Lee Hyeon-yeong | Video by Lee Ui-seon | Graphics by Yook Do-hyun | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.