Abroad
Korean man, 23, who murdered girl, 16, after attempting to rape her, gets life in jail, family calls for death penalty instead
The man was also charged with attacking a male student who ran over upon hearing the girl scream.
October 01, 2026, 02:22 PM
Photo from Yonhap and ChosunBiz.
A 23-year-old South Korean man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering a female high school student after attempting to kidnap her with the intention of sexually assaulting her.
According to local news outlet The Korea Times, the man, Jang Yoon Gi, was sentenced on Sep. 30, 2026.
He was earlier indicted on May 5, 2026 on charges including murder in the course of rape over the death of 16-year-old Lee Chae Won.
The charges
The incident took place at around 12:10am on a deserted walkway in Wolgye-dong in Gwangju's Gwangsan District, Korea JoongAng Daily reported.
Jang was also charged with attacking a second-year high school male student, who ran over upon hearing Lee scream, with a weapon.
In addition to the murder charge, Jang was also charged with other sex-related offences.
He allegedly stalked and sexually assaulted a woman who worked with him at a part-time job two days before the murder.
He was also accused of secretly filming a teenage girl's body while serving as a social service agent.
Prosecution sought the death penalty
The prosecution sought the death penalty at Jang's final hearing on Aug. 31, 2026, reported Korea JoongAng Daily.
Jang's charge of murder in the course of rape carries two possible sentences under South Korean law: death or life imprisonment.
He admitted to all the charges in court and submitted three letters expressing remorse.
The court also ordered him to wear an electronic ankle monitor and barred him from working at institutions for children, adolescents and people with disabilities for 10 years, should he be released.
Separately, the victim's family reportedly staged a one-person protest around the time of the sentencing, calling for the maximum penalty allowed under law, and submitted a petition seeking severe punishment.
The petition had garnered about 100,000 signatures.
A family member told reporters that the ruling has "killed our family once more".
The court ultimately found Jang guilty on all charges and said the prosecution's argument that he should be isolated from society permanently was reasonable.
South Korea has not carried out an execution since December 1997.
