'Sindang Station Murder' Jeon Juhwan's First Trial: "I Will Live in Atonement"

Suspect Jeon Juhwan in the 'Sindang Station Stalking Murder' case is being transferred from the Namdaemun Police Station detention center in Jung-gu, Seoul to the prosecution on the 21st. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] Jeon Juhwan (31, male), who was charged with murdering a station attendant at Sindang Station after stalking him, said at his first trial, "I truly regret my actions."

On the 22nd, the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 25-1 (Presiding Judges Park Jeonggil, Park Jeongje, Park Sarang) held the first trial of Jeon Juhwan, who was indicted on charges including retaliatory murder under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes.

In court, Jeon Juhwan stated, "I am fully aware that I was truly wrong," and added, "I will live with regret, reflection, remorse, and atonement." He and his lawyer admitted most of the charges but argued that his motive for breaking into the victim’s residence before September 14 was not to commit murder but to settle the stalking case.

The court, at the prosecutor’s request, plans to call the victim’s father as a witness for questioning at the continued trial on the 13th of next month and then conclude the trial. The court requested the prosecutor to consider calling an expert witness who can explain areas beyond general understanding, such as the defendant’s psychological state, motive for the crime, and risk of reoffending.

During the hearing, CCTV footage near the restroom at the scene of the incident, Sindang Station, was revealed. The footage shows the victim entering the restroom while Jeon Juhwan, holding a prepared weapon in one hand, wearing a shower cap on his head. After losing sight of the victim once, he is seen waiting nearby and following the victim into the restroom. The prosecutor emphasized, "It can be confirmed that the defendant made no attempt to approach the victim for conversation."

According to the prosecution, when the sentencing date for the stalking case, for which Jeon Juhwan was indicted following the victim’s report, was set and a prison sentence was expected, he decided to kill the victim, thinking "everything I have built so far will collapse."

The prosecution’s view is that Jeon Juhwan meticulously prepared for the crime by visiting the subway station office four times from August 18, when the sentencing trial for the stalking case was held, until the day of the crime, checking the victim’s address and work information.

Jeon Juhwan secretly entered the victim’s residential building to wait around the victim’s daytime work leaving time, but the victim had already moved elsewhere, so the crime could not be committed. Eventually, Jeon went to Sindang Station, where the victim worked, and stabbed the victim to death with a weapon in the women’s restroom there.

After the victim’s death, on September 29 of last month, Jeon Juhwan was sentenced to nine years in prison by the Seoul Western District Court for stalking and illegal filming charges. He has appealed the first trial verdict related to this case.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.