A man in his 20s who killed a 17-year-old high school girl he had never met in downtown Gwangju had been reported to police for stalking just two days before the crime, investigators said.
According to Newsis on Tuesday, Jang, a man in his 20s facing murder and attempted murder charges, was reported for stalking by a woman two days before committing the crime. On the 3rd of this month, a foreign woman who worked part-time with Jang reported to Gwangju police that "Jang was loitering in front of her house." Police found scratch marks on the woman's body, but the case was closed after she said she planned to move to another region and wanted to defer the report.
Two days later, at around 12:10 a.m. on the 5th, Jang fatally stabbed the 17-year-old girl, identified only as A, on a road near a university in Wolgye-dong, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju. He also seriously injured a 17-year-old boy, identified as B, who rushed to help after hearing A's screams.
During police questioning, Jang claimed the crime was impulsive, saying, "I was contemplating suicide because life was no fun, and then I had an urge to commit the crime." However, police are focusing on the possibility of a premeditated crime based on circumstances before and after the incident and attempts to destroy evidence.
Before the crime, Jang turned off his mobile phone and wandered the streets carrying two weapons he had purchased two days earlier. After the crime, he fled the scene, discarded the weapons nearby, and stopped at an unmanned laundromat to wash his bloodstained clothes. While waiting for the laundry cycle, he reportedly appeared calm, lying outside the shop and smoking cigarettes. He is also suspected of attempting to destroy evidence, including throwing one of his two mobile phones into a river.
Jang fled immediately after the crime but was arrested by police near his residence about 11 hours after the incident. He is currently under investigation in custody.
On Monday, the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency convened a personal information disclosure review committee and decided to release Jang's identity. However, because Jang objected, the actual disclosure has been postponed to the 14th in accordance with regulations.
