Over 47,000 sign petition seeking death penalty for high school girl's killer

More than 47,000 people have signed an online petition calling for the maximum sentence against Jang Yun-gi, who killed a high school girl.

According to the Gwangju-Jeonnam Memorial Solidarity, an online petition titled "Petition for Severe Punishment of Defendant Jang Yun-gi in the Case of the Late Student Lee Chae-won" — launched jointly by the group and the victim's family on July 20 — had gathered 47,268 signatures as of Monday.

Signatories called for the court to impose the death penalty, the maximum sentence under law, holding Jang accountable in a manner commensurate with the victim's unjust death.

By age group, those in their 20s made up the largest share at 17,020 signatories, or 41.1 percent, followed by those aged 19 and under at 7,863 (19 percent), those in their 30s at 6,150 (14.8 percent), and those in their 40s at 2,003 (4.8 percent).

By region, Gyeonggi Province accounted for the most signatures at 10,757, or 26 percent, followed by Seoul with 9,772 (23.6 percent), Gwangju and South Jeolla Province combined with 4,564 (11 percent), Incheon with 2,436 (5.9 percent), and Busan with 1,961 (4.7 percent).

Beyond demanding a harsh sentence, signatories also left comments calling for commemoration of the victim, comfort for the bereaved family, the establishment of a stronger social safety net to prevent similar crimes, and a thorough investigation of all those involved in the case.

The victim's family, in a statement accompanying the petition, appealed to the public to protect society from further harm. "We cannot shake the fear that if the perpetrator returns to society, he may commit the crime he failed to complete against someone else," the family said. "Please protect our society so that no more innocent victims are created."

The Gwangju-Jeonnam Memorial Solidarity plans to submit the online signatures and petition to the Gwangju District Court ahead of Jang's trial hearing scheduled for Aug. 31.