Prosecution Seeks Death Penalty for Jang Yoon-gi: "Permanent Isolation Needed" (Comprehensive)

Victim Lee Chaewon's Family Pleads for Severe Punishment
Jang's Side Claims "Cable Ties Were Not Intended for the Crime"

The prosecution has sought the death penalty, which is the maximum punishment under the law, for Jang Yoon-gi (23), who has been indicted and detained on charges including the murder of a high school girl for sexual assault purposes.

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

According to the legal community on August 31, at the sentencing hearing for Jang Yoon-gi held at the Gwangju District Court Criminal Division 13 (Presiding Judge: Lee Joung-ho), the prosecution requested that the court impose the death penalty.

The prosecution stated, "The defendant meticulously prepared the crime in advance, targeting an unspecified number of teenage victims, and not only took the life of a young victim through a brutal method but also severely injured a male student who tried to help her." They argued, "Given the tremendous social repercussions and the particularly heinous nature of the crime, it is necessary to permanently isolate the defendant from society."

The bereaved family of the deceased victim, Lee Chaewon, also pleaded with the court for the harshest sentence. Lee's parents said, "An innocent child was mercilessly sacrificed, yet the defendant continues to make excuses and shows no remorse. The prosecution's demand for the death penalty is a natural outcome, and we urge the court to also impose the death sentence to uphold the severity and justice of the law."

During the trial, a dispute arose over the prosecution’s addition in the indictment of the "circumstances of preparing for the crime using cable ties." The prosecution pointed out that Jang Yoon-gi had committed a premeditated crime, including preparing cable ties in advance in his car for the purpose of kidnapping and restraining the victim.

However, Jang Yoon-gi's defense attorney refuted this, stating, "The cable ties were purchased five months before the incident to organize computer cables, not for the purpose of committing a crime," denying that the cable ties were related to the offense.

Jang Yoon-gi is suspected of killing Lee, a 16-year-old high school girl, at around 12:10 a.m. on May 5 in a walkway in Wolgye-dong, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju for the purpose of committing a sexual crime. He is also charged with wielding a weapon against a 17-year-old male student who rushed to help after hearing the girl's screams.

The prosecution has also charged Jang Yoon-gi with additional offenses—two days before the girl's murder, he is accused of sexually assaulting a Vietnamese woman in her 20s, who was a colleague from his part-time job, and of illegally filming the bodies of female youth while working as a social service agent.

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