Jang Yoonki Admits to Sex Crime Motive in Murder After Release of Dashcam Footage

Admits All Charges in Second Trial

Criticism Mounts Over Investigation Team’s Evidence Destruction

Jang Yoonki (23), who followed an unfamiliar high school girl with the intention of sexually assaulting her and ultimately murdered her, admitted in his second trial that his motive was rooted in a sex crime. The suspect, who had consistently claimed the crime was impulsive since his arrest, confessed to charges of rape-murder after continued pressure from the prosecution and the presentation of physical evidence.

Jang Yoongi (23), who is accused of murder and attempted murder, is being transferred from Gwangju Western Police Station to the prosecution on the morning of May 14. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

On July 13, the 13th Criminal Division of the Gwangju District Court (presiding judge: Chief Judge Lee Jeongho) held the second hearing for Jang Yoonki, who has been indicted and detained on charges of violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes (rape and murder, sexual assault), as well as attempted murder.

The key issue in this session was whether the charge of "murder with intent to rape," which is punishable by the death penalty or life imprisonment, would be upheld. Jang's court-appointed defense attorney, who had reserved judgment on this charge during the first hearing, stated, "After sufficient consultation with the defendant, we admit to all the charges in the indictment." When the presiding judge asked Jang if he agreed with his attorney's statement, Jang simply replied "Yes," thereby admitting to all charges brought by the prosecution.

The defense explained that they had refrained from stating a position during the first trial because they had not yet reviewed the dashcam footage containing details of the crime. However, after reviewing the video, they submitted a written statement to the court on July 10 acknowledging the sexual motive behind the crime.

During the hearing, the prosecution presented evidence and details of Jang's actions prior to the victim, Lee Chaewon (17), losing her life. On May 3, two days before the incident, Jang had allegedly broken into the home of a female coworker in her 20s, a foreign national, and sexually assaulted her, holding her captive for 13 hours. After she rejected further contact with him, he reportedly wandered the area armed with a weapon, and, unable to find her, ended up following Lee, a stranger, for about 15 minutes before committing the crime. Additional charges include the illegal filming of middle school students’ bodies during his military service.

The court, accepting the prosecution's request to protect the victim’s privacy due to the cruelty of the content, reviewed the dashcam footage from the truck containing the crime in a closed session. The video reportedly shows Jang opening the rear door of an SUV, attempting to abduct Lee by grabbing her from behind, and, when facing her fierce resistance, killing her with a weapon.

Additionally, the prosecution announced plans to request further evidence at the center of allegations of an inadequate investigation. One key piece is video footage shot by the initial investigative team as they searched Jang's SUV on the day of the crime. The prosecution emphasized, "A 40-centimeter black cable tie found in the front passenger seat was a restraint device that Jang had prepared in advance for the purpose of committing a sex crime." The National Forensic Service DNA analysis report on a "damaged sex doll" from Jang's rented room—which police failed to seize as evidence and instead returned to Jang’s father, a serving police officer, who then destroyed it—will also be submitted to the court.

Now that Jang has admitted in court to the intent to commit rape, controversy is expected to intensify over the Gwangju Gwangsan Police Station investigation team’s inadequate initial investigation, specifically their careless handling of evidence and permitting its destruction by returning it to Jang’s father. The head of the initial investigation team, Inspector A, has already been detained on charges of evidence destruction, and several senior officers, including the former chief and the head of the criminal division of the Gwangsan Police Station, have been booked as suspects and are undergoing judicial proceedings. As public opinion worsened, Yoo Jaesung, who is currently serving as acting commissioner general of the National Police Agency and returned from a business trip to the United States, visited the victim’s family to apologize and announced follow-up measures.

Before switching to a closed hearing, the court scheduled the next hearing for either July 24 or July 27.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.