Prosecutors have demanded the death penalty for Jang Yoon-gi (23), who murdered a female high school student with the intent to commit a sex crime.

During the fourth hearing of the trial 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 the demand was 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 multiple charges applied against Jang Yoon-gi, the crime of rape and 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 Lee Chae-won (who was a high school sophomore at the time) submitted a petition for a strict punishment bearing the signatures of some 50,000 citizens to the court, and held a one-person protest urging the court to sentence Jang Yoon-gi to the maximum legal penalty.

The legal representative for the bereaved family explained that the purpose of the petition was to ask the court for a severe punishment for the defendant, considering the suffering experienced by the victim's family, those around them, and citizens as a whole, as well as the social impact of the crime.

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, South Jeolla Province, at around 12:10 AM on May 5, murdering Lee, and swinging a weapon at a high school student who rushed to the scene after hearing screams.

The indictment also includes charges of committing multiple sex crimes, such as sexually assaulting a 26-year-old Vietnamese female coworker two days before the crime, and illegally filming the bodies of adolescent females while serving as a public service worker.