Jang Yunki: "Took Away a Piece of Many People's Daily Lives"... Victim's Family Says "Attempt to Reduce Sentence"

Submitted Over Ten-Page Letter of Reflection to Court on the 7th
Witness Testimonies Scheduled for the 27th; Four to Appear, Including Public Service Colleague

A portion of the letter of reflection submitted to the court by Jang Yunki, who murdered a high school girl he did not know, has been made public.

Yonhap News Agency

Kim Moonseok, an attorney at Donghaeng Partners representing the victim's family, urged for a severe sentence immediately after the second trial of Jang Yunki held on the 13th, stating, "Jang Yunki’s admission that the crime was committed with the intent to commit sexual assault seems intended to give the impression of genuine remorse to the court in order to reduce his sentence."

Attorney Kim further argued, "As additional evidence has emerged and the investigation into people around him has expanded, it appears he is using this as a strategic move to block further scrutiny." To support this, he quoted a passage from Jang Yunki’s letter of reflection submitted to the court: "I harmed the victim with irresponsible thoughts, without any forethought. As a result, I affected countless people and took away a piece of what should have been everyday life."

Previously, on the 7th, Jang Yunki submitted a letter of reflection to the court, spanning over 10 pages. The letter included apologies to the victims of his crimes and pleas for leniency from the court.

Attorney Kim pointed out, "There is no admission of his sexual motives in Jang Yunki’s letter of reflection. On the contrary, it reads as though he committed the crime without any particular thought and that it was unrelated to any sexual intent." He added, "The expressions are directed not at the victim, but at the general public, and by describing it as 'one piece of many people’s daily lives,' he belittled the victim. This is a strategic choice, not a sincere act of remorse that should be considered as a mitigating factor in sentencing."

The focus of the day's trial was on establishing the premeditated nature of the crime using video evidence, such as closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage and black box recordings showing Jang Yunki’s actions at the time of the incident. Attorney Kim claimed that, according to the CCTV footage made public, Jang Yunki identified the victim, stopped several times to check her movements, and ultimately chose the location where the crime was committed. He added that, after the trial went into a closed session, scenes showing harm being inflicted on the victim were replayed.

When asked whether Jang Yunki’s intent to commit sexual assault was clearly revealed, Kim responded, "The sexual motive itself concerns intent, not outwardly visible actions. While it cannot be confirmed solely from the video, the fact that he prepared a cable tie, opened and closed the rear door of the vehicle, and tried to move the victim by grabbing her by the back of the neck instead of attacking immediately—all these circumstances together are sufficient to infer a sexual motive." He continued, "The legal team believes that there is enough evidence to acknowledge the intent to commit rape, and we consider it necessary to further reinforce this through additional investigation."

Earlier, on the same day, the 13th Criminal Division of the Gwangju District Court (Presiding Judge Lee Jeongho) held the second trial for Jang Yunki, who has been indicted and detained on charges including violation of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes (rape and murder, sexual assault) and attempted murder. As in the written opinion submitted on the 10th after reviewing the prosecution’s additional evidence, such as black box footage, Jang Yunki’s legal representative stated, "We acknowledge all the charges."

The next trial is scheduled for 10 a.m. on the 27th of this month. During the session, testimonies will be heard from four witnesses: a colleague from Jang Yunki’s public service work, a high school classmate, a representative of the victim’s family, and another victim, a male student.

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