"The Female Student Killer Is ○○○"... Name and Photo Spread Online Before Official Disclosure

Personal Information Spread by Netizens on Social Media
Subject Refuses Consent for Disclosure

The real name and photo of Mr. Jang (24), who fatally stabbed a female high school student and seriously injured a male high school student—both of whom he had never met before—in downtown Gwangju, are spreading across social networking services (SNS).

According to Yonhap News on May 9, Jang’s name, as well as recent and childhood photos, have been circulated mainly via SNS platforms such as Instagram and YouTube. Among these, the recent photo has been identified as the same as the profile picture of a social media account believed to belong to Jang. Some netizens have even posted information about the occupations and current status of Jang’s family members. However, the authenticity of this information has not been confirmed.

The Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency convened a personal information disclosure review committee the previous day and decided to publicly release Jang’s personal details. However, since Jang did not consent to the disclosure, the official posting has been postponed in accordance with procedure to May 14, five days after the committee decision.

On the morning of the 7th, at the Gwangju District Court in Dong-gu, Gwangju, the suspect Jang, accused of a random murder, was leaving after finishing the pre-arrest interrogation (warrant hearing). Photo by Yonhap News.

A police official stated, “We were unaware that Jang’s personal information was circulating on social media,” adding, “Our current focus is on determining the motive for the crime.”

The Gwangsan Police Station in Gwangju, which is investigating the case, conducted an underwater search over several days in a stream where Jang claimed to have discarded his smartphone before the crime, but the search was called off after failing to yield any results. It was revealed that Jang used two mobile phones; he stated that one was discarded in the stream. The other phone in Jang’s possession was found to be a device without an active SIM card, and it is currently undergoing digital forensic analysis.

Jang reportedly did not provide specific statements regarding whether the crime was inspired by similar brutal offenses. He has merely repeated claims such as, “Life was not enjoyable. While contemplating suicide, I decided to commit the crime and wanted to take someone with me.” Police have also conducted a psychopathy (antisocial personality disorder) evaluation on Jang.

At approximately 12:11 a.m. on May 5, Jang was arrested on charges including murder and attempted murder after killing a second-year female high school student, referred to as “A” (17), and attacking another high school student, “B” (17), with a weapon on a walkway in Wolgye-dong, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju. Jang testified that he committed the crime without any specific motive against the female student, whom he encountered twice while wandering near his residence. “B” happened to be passing by during the incident, heard the screams, and was attacked while trying to help.

Jang’s personal information is scheduled to be posted on the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency’s website for 30 days, from 9:00 a.m. on May 14 until June 12.

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