Prosecutors Seek Death Penalty for Jang Yoon-gi, Convicted of Murdering High School Girl

Prosecutors have sought the death penalty for 23-year-old Jang Yoon-gi, who murdered a high school girl with the intent to commit a sex crime.

During the fourth hearing for the rape-murder case under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment, etc. of Sexual Crimes, held today (August 31) by Criminal Division 13 of the Gwangju District Court (Presiding Judge Lee Jung-ho), the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office asked the court to impose the ultimate punishment on the defendant.

Prosecutors stated that the reason for seeking the death penalty is the high risk of recidivism, such as murder and sexual assault, if the defendant were to return to society.

In his closing statement, Jang Yoon-gi said that he was sorry to the victim and would carry the weight of his sins for the rest of his life.

Among the various charges against Jang Yoon-gi, the crime of rape-murder is punishable only by the death penalty or life imprisonment.

The sentencing hearing is scheduled for 2:00 PM on September 30.

Prior to the hearing, the bereaved family of the late victim Lee Chae-won (who was a high school sophomore at the time) submitted a petition for severe punishment signed by some 50,000 citizens to the court and held a one-person protest urging the court to hand down the maximum legal sentence for Jang Yoon-gi.

The legal representative for the bereaved family explained the purpose of the petition, stating that the victim's family, those around them, and furthermore society as a whole are suffering, and asked the court to strictly punish the defendant taking into consideration the social impact.

Jang Yoon-gi was indicted and detained on charges of attempting to commit a sex crime on a deserted pedestrian walkway in Wolgye-dong, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, at around 12:10 AM on May 5, murdering Lee, and swinging a weapon at a high school student who rushed over after hearing screams.

The indictment also includes charges of committing multiple sex crimes, such as sexually assaulting a 26-year-old female part-time work colleague (a Vietnamese national) two days before the crime, and secretly filming the bodies of teenage females while serving as a social service agent.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.