The family of the late Lee Chae-won (16), who was killed by Jang Yoon-gi, urged the court to impose the death penalty.
In a statement on the 27th, the family said, "We earnestly ask that you honor the spirit of the child who left us so unfairly and allow our shattered family to hold on to even a last shred of hope by sentencing the perpetrator to the maximum sentence allowed by law (death penalty), permanently isolating the person from society."
The family said, "Our precious daughter's life was taken by the perpetrator's brutal crime, who had no connection to us, and our family's life has been completely destroyed," adding, "For us, simply opening our eyes every morning is pain and hell."
They continued, "There is only one reason we barely hold back the urge to go to our daughter right now and endure with tears of blood," adding, "It is to be able to tell the daughter who left without even closing her eyes, 'Mom and Dad cleared your injustice.'"
The 13th Criminal Division of the Gwangju District Court (Presiding Judge Lee Jeong-ho, senior judge) held the third trial from 10 a.m. on charges including rape-murder and attempted murder under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes against Jang Yoon-gi, who has been indicted and detained. Testifying that day were Lee's parents and a second-year high school passerby (17, male) who was seriously injured while trying to help Lee when attacked by Jang with a weapon.
Lee's mother broke down in tears as she read the statement in court. Lee said, "My daughter who died can never come back, but if the perpetrator who is alive is released back into the world, it is like handing down another death sentence to those of us left behind," adding, "If the perpetrator returns to society, we cannot shake the fear that the unfulfilled crime could be committed against someone else." She continued, "Please protect our society so that there will be no more innocent victims."