A funeral was held Thursday in Gwangju for a 17-year-old high school student who was fatally stabbed by a man Tuesday while returning home late at night after studying.
Police said the 24-year-old suspect, who had been driving around with two knives in his car, encountered the victim twice that night before deciding to target her. During questioning, the suspect, who is currently in custody, reportedly told investigators that he had been planning to take his own life because “life was not enjoyable.”
The victim, a second-year student at a nearby high school, suffered fatal stab wounds to the neck. Another 17-year-old student, a boy who rushed to help after hearing her cries, was also stabbed but did not suffer life-threatening injuries.
A portrait of the high school girl who was fatally stabbed on a street in Gwangju on May 5 is carried during a funeral procession at a funeral hall in Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, on Thursday. (Yonhap)
White chrysanthemums rest atop the coffin of a high school girl fatally stabbed by a 24-year-old man during her funeral procession in Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, on Thursday. (Yonhap)
Bereaved family members weep during the funeral Thursday of a high school student killed in a stabbing attack in Gwangju. (Yonhap)
Flowers and gifts left by mourners are seen at the site of the attack in Wolgye-dong, Gwangju, on Thursday. (Yonhap)
Citizens pay tribute to the victim of a fatal stabbing attack at the scene of the crime in Gwangju, on Thursday. (Yonhap)
A banner reading, “We’re sorry. We will not forget,” hangs at the scene of a fatal stabbing in Gwangju, on Thursday. (Yonhap)
