Prosecutors seek death penalty for Jang Yoon-ki, who murdered a high school girl

(Jeonnam Gwangju = Yonhap News) Reporter Jeong Hoe-seong = The prosecution sought the death penalty for Jang Yoon-ki (23), who murdered a high school girl for the purpose of a sexual crime.

The Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office requested the court to "impose the death sentence on the defendant (Jang Yoon-ki)" in the fourth trial of a murder case, including rape, under the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Crimes, held at a hearing held by the Gwangju District Court's Criminal Division 13 (Chief Judge Lee Jeong-ho) on the 31st.

The prosecution stated the reason for the sentence, saying, “There is a high risk of repeat offenses such as murder and sexual assault when he returns to society.”

In his final statement, Jang Yoon-gi said, "I feel sorry for the victim and will pay for my crime for the rest of my life."

Among the many crimes applied to Jang Yoon-gi, rape and murder are punishable only with the death penalty or life imprisonment.

The sentencing hearing is scheduled to be held at 2pm on the 30th of next month.

Prior to the trial, the bereaved family of the victim, the late Lee Chae-won (then a second-year high school student), submitted a 'severe punishment petition' to the court, supported by over 50,000 citizens, and held a one-person protest urging Jang Yoon-gi to be sentenced to the maximum sentence in court.

The legal representative of the bereaved family explained the purpose of the petition, saying, "The victim's family, the people around them, and even all citizens are suffering. Considering the social impact, please impose severe punishment on the defendant."

Jang Yoon-gi was arrested and indicted on charges of murdering Lee Yang while attempting to commit a sex crime on a sparsely populated pedestrian street in Wolgye-dong, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, Jeollanam-do at around 0:10 on May 5, and also brandishing a weapon at a high school student who came running after hearing her screams.

The indictment also included charges of committing several sexual crimes, including sexually assaulting a woman (26, Vietnam) who was a part-time co-worker two days before the crime, and secretly filming the body of a teenage female while working as a social worker.