[Anchor]

Jang Yoon-ki, who has been put on trial on charges of attempting to sexually assault and subsequently murdering a high school girl in Gwangju, is scheduled to receive his first-trial verdict today (September 30). The legally mandated sentence for the crime is either life imprisonment or the death penalty.

Reporter Dong Eunyeong has the details.

[Reporter]

Yesterday, a day before the first-trial sentencing of Jang Yoon-ki, the mother of the late Lee Chae-won held a one-person protest in front of the courthouse.

Her sign read, "Answer the murderer Jang Yoon-ki with the death penalty."

Chae-won's mother stated that if Jang is sentenced to life imprisonment, he could potentially be paroled someday, and she urged the court to hand down the death penalty to ensure he can never return to society.

The bereaved family has appealed, saying, "Please uphold social justice by holding him strictly accountable for this premeditated and brutal crime."

A petition bearing the signatures of 100,000 people has also been submitted to the court.

Seventy percent of the participants were young people in their teens and twenties, around Chae-won's age. They petitioned for severe punishment, stating, "Please ensure that students do not have to live in fear walking the streets at night," and "This was not a story from a distant country, but a horrifying reality that could have happened to our families or ourselves."

In late August, prosecutors demanded the death penalty—the maximum statutory penalty—for Jang, who has been on trial for charges including rape and murder.

While Jang has admitted to all the charges brought by the prosecution, submitting three letters of apology stating, "I committed a crime that should never have been done, and I apologize to the victim and the bereaved family while bearing the weight of my sins for the rest of my life," claims have emerged that he made remarks in prison to fellow inmates revealing twisted sexual values, seemingly showing no genuine remorse for his crimes.

The first-trial sentencing hearing for Jang will take place at 2:00 PM today at the Gwangju District Court.

(Video by Kim Hak-mo | Video Editing by Yu Mi-ra)