Jang Daeho, Perpetrator of "Han River Dismembered Body Case," Loses Lawsuit Over Prison TV Ban

Classified as a Violent Inmate, Placed in Solitary Confinement
Four-Month TV Ban Imposed for Order and Safety
Court: "Difficult to See This as an Excessive Infringement of Basic Rights"

Jang Daeho, the perpetrator of the so-called "Han River Dismembered Body Case," has lost his lawsuit challenging the restriction on television viewing within prison. The court determined that, given his violent tendencies and the safety concerns within the correctional facility, the authorities' actions could not be considered excessive.

Jang Dae-ho, who was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole after being arrested and prosecuted on charges of murdering a motel guest, mutilating the body, and dumping it in the Han River. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

According to the legal community on May 18, the Administrative Division 2 of the Daegu District Court (Chief Judge Ju Kyungtae) ruled against Jang Daeho last month in his lawsuit against Gyeongbuk Northern No. 2 Correctional Institution, in which he sought to nullify the "television viewing ban and related measures."

After receiving a total of six disciplinary actions, including for assaulting and verbally abusing staff in November 2024, Jang was transferred to Gyeongbuk Northern No. 2 Correctional Institution, a facility specializing in inmates with violent tendencies.

The correctional authorities cited the need to maintain order and ensure safety within the facility as reasons for placing Jang in a solitary cell without a television for four months, and also restricted his participation in religious gatherings and use of electric shavers. In response, Jang filed a lawsuit in September of the previous year, claiming that his basic rights had been excessively restricted and that the authorities had overstepped or abused their discretion.

However, the court dismissed Jang's claim, stating, "There are reasonable grounds for preventive measures, as there is a concern about fights with other inmates and he is deemed unfit for communal living."

The court also noted, "As an alternative, he was allowed to listen to the radio, and his individual religious practices and counseling for personal reform were guaranteed," and added, "It is difficult to see the prison's measures as an excessive infringement on his basic rights."

In August 2019, Jang was put on trial for killing a guest with a blunt object during a dispute over accommodation fees at the motel where he worked, mutilating the body, and abandoning it in the Han River. The following year, the Supreme Court sentenced him to life imprisonment.

After turning himself in to the police at the time, Jang caused public outrage with statements to the press such as, "I feel no remorse because the other person did something worth dying for," and, "This is a case of a heinous criminal killing a thug."

He served his sentence at Gyeongbuk Northern No. 2 Correctional Institution from November 2024 to March of the previous year, and is currently incarcerated at Hongseong Prison.

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