▲ Jang Yoon-gi, the suspect of a murder of a high school student in the southwestern city of Gwangju, is escorted out of a police station in the city in this file photo taken May 14, 2026. (Yonhap)

murder case-suspect

Gwangju student murder suspect admits to sexual assault motive

GWANGJU, July 13 (Yonhap) -- The suspect behind the murder of a high school student in the southwestern city of Gwangju admitted in court Monday that he had sexual motives, changing his earlier claim that the crime was not premeditated.

The lawyer of the suspect, Jang Yoon-gi, recognized all the charges presented by the prosecution, including murder with intent to rape, during his trial hearing at the Gwangju District Court.

In May, police arrested the 23-year-old on charges of murdering the 16-year-old female victim. The victim was previously said to be 17 years old, but the prosecution has corrected her age to 16. Prosecutors have also amended charges against the suspect to murdering the student in a failed attempt to kidnap her for sexual assault.

Jang is also accused of wounding a 17-year-old male student who tried to help the victim, and stalking and committing sexual assault against a Vietnamese national who was a work colleague.

He had previously argued that his actions were not premeditated, claiming that he had decided to kill himself and wanted to "take someone along" with him.

His admission of sexual motives comes after Jang and his lawyer examined footage from his vehicle's dash cam, secured by the prosecution as evidence, which contained scenes of the crime.

The case has attracted public scrutiny after the prosecution's investigation found suspicions of police investigators destroying evidence and leaking investigative details to Jang's father, who is a serving police officer in the city.

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