"Please call her 'Lee Chae-won,' not 'the Cheomdan high school student.'"
The parents of Lee Chae-won, 17, the high school student stabbed to death in early May in downtown Gwangju by a man in his 20s with whom she had no acquaintance, have made this plea while disclosing her identity.
The parents of the late Lee Chae-won issued a statement Sunday alongside a portrait of their daughter, saying, "Our family is releasing this statement with the heartfelt hope of clearing Chae-won's grievance and ensuring that no other unfortunate victim like our child ever emerges in this land again."
The bereaved family expressed their indignation, saying, "Jang Yoon-gi, the perpetrator who brutally trampled on our Chae-won's precious life and future, is a criminal who deserves not the slightest sympathy. He had already committed crimes in the past, but because proper punishment was not delivered in time, he ended up committing this crime against our child. Facing his shameless demeanor, without even a hint of remorse, is unbearable agony for the bereaved family."
They further appealed, "If any attempt is made during the trial to unjustly reduce his sentence, it would be no different from a second act of murder against the deceased and her family." They added, "We strongly urge the judiciary to show that justice is alive through severe punishment, and we earnestly ask citizens to join the online and offline petition campaign calling for the maximum legal penalty to be imposed on the perpetrator."
The bereaved family also requested psychological treatment support for Lee's friends and teachers, as well as expanded safety facilities around the crime scene.
"LED street lamps, high-definition CCTVs, and emergency safety bells should be expanded, and patrols should be strengthened during students' after-school hours," they said. "We hope Chae-won's sacrifice becomes an opportunity to improve the safety net for youth."
Civic groups including the Gwangju-Jeonnam Memorial Solidarity plan to hold the 49th-day memorial rite for Lee on the 22nd along with the bereaved family.
The incident occurred in the early hours of May 5 on a road in Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju. After killing Chae-won, with whom he had no prior acquaintance, Jang Yoon-gi also wielded his weapon against a male student who came running upon hearing her screams, inflicting serious injuries.
Investigations revealed that three days before the crime, Jang Yoon-gi had asked a foreign woman, identified as A, who was his part-time co-worker, to date him. After being rejected, he sexually assaulted her and stalked her multiple times.
Subsequently, A moved to another region under police protection. Unaware of this, Jang Yoon-gi was wandering in search of A when he chose Chae-won as his target, according to the investigation.
Adding to the heartbreak, it is reported that since the day of the incident, Chae-won's school uniform still lies in her room, alongside the emergency medical technician uniform that represented her future aspiration.
