Jang Yoon-gi Expressionless Throughout Trial... Broken Parents Cry Out, "I'm Sorry, Chaewon"

[Anchor]

Jang Yoon-gi, who killed a high school girl for the purpose of sexual assault, has been sentenced to life in prison in the first trial. While the court stated that parole should never be allowed while Jang is alive, the bereaved family, who had pleaded for the death penalty, protested that they could not accept the verdict.

Reporter Dong Eunyeong has the details.

[Reporter]

Wearing a khaki prison uniform and an expressionless face, Jang Yoon-gi enters the Gwangju District Court for the first-trial sentencing hearing.

The prosecution, which indicted Jang on charges including rape and murder—punishable only by death or life imprisonment—had previously requested the death penalty during the sentencing hearing.

The first-instance court recognized all charges as guilty today (September 30), stating that the crime was merciless and brutal, inflicting irreversible suffering on the victim and her family.

The court strongly rebuked Jang, noting that rather than showing genuine repentance or remorse, he showed an attitude of trying to evade situations moment by moment.

The court judged that Jang must be permanently isolated from society, explaining that sentencing him to life imprisonment instead of death was the result of deep deliberation.

The court stated, "Judges are also human beings before being judges," adding that it had considered whether it was right to hand down the ultimate punishment of depriving someone of life, but took into account that South Korea is practically an abolitionist state regarding the death penalty.

However, the court noted that it had specified in the ruling that parole must not be permitted as long as Jang remains alive.

While Jang showed little reaction at the moment the life sentence was handed down, the parents of the late Lee Chaewon—who recently held a one-person protest demanding the death penalty—cried out, "I'm sorry, Chaewon," and could not stop sobbing.

[Mother of the Late Lee Chaewon : I want to ask if the court even for a single moment properly grasped the horrific fear Chaewon must have felt in that terrifying moment, and the hellish sorrow that her surviving parents must carry for the rest of their lives. Why should the perpetrator be kept alive while the victim had to die?]

The bereaved family pointed out whether life imprisonment without the possibility of parole should be institutionalized by law if a death sentence is not handed down, and stated that they would request the prosecution to appeal.

(Video by Kim Hak-mo | Video Editing by Lim Yeojin)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.