Jang Yoon-gi, who was indicted on charges including murder after attempting to sexually assault a high school girl who resisted, has admitted in court that he committed the crime with the intent to commit a sexual offense.

Consequently, the controversy surrounding the police's initial inadequate investigation and allegations of a cover-up, which had reduced the charges to simple murder when referring the case to the prosecution, is expected to escalate uncontrollably.

During the second trial for murder and other charges, including sexual assault, held this morning at the Gwangju District Court under the 13th Criminal Division, Jang admitted to all the charges brought by the prosecution, stating, "I had the intent to commit rape at the time of the crime."

When the presiding judge, Lee Jeong-ho, asked him to "clarify whether there was an intent to commit sexual assault," Jang's public defender stated, "He admits to everything."

Judge Lee then asked Jang, "Do you agree with your counsel's position?" to which Jang briefly replied, "Yes, that is correct."

This marks a reversal of his position from a month ago, when he had completely denied the charges, claiming he "had no intent to commit a sexual crime."

During the supplementary investigation, the prosecution uncovered that Jang had stalked the victim for 15 minutes and had committed a sexual offense against a foreign woman just one day before the crime, leading them to indict him on charges of "rape-murder" rather than simple murder.

In contrast, the police had referred the case with only charges of simple murder, citing a lack of direct evidence.

However, as Jang has now personally admitted to murder with the intent to commit a sexual crime, calls are growing for a thorough investigation into the police's handling of the case, which has been marred by allegations of protecting their own and covering up the truth.

Reported by Lee Hyeon-yeong | Video by Lee Ui-seon | Graphics by Yook Do-hyun | Produced by SBS Digital News