Gwangju police said Thursday that the May 5 murder of a 17-year-old was not committed inadvertently as the suspect had claimed, but was an outburst toward a stranger after being rejected by his co-worker.
Police officials have since transferred the case to the prosecutors.
Jang Yoon-gi, 23, is accused of killing a high school girl and injuring a male student. His name, mugshot and age were revealed early Thursday by the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency, and will remain posted online until June 12.
According to officials, Jang's motive is thought to be frustration after being romantically rejected by his 20-year-old co-worker, whom he had worked with at a restaurant in Gwangju. She had reported Jang to the authorities for stalking and moved to a city over 200 kilometers away to avoid him, which allegedly infuriated him.
Police believe that Jang had planned to murder the former coworker, but changed his target to the high school girl after seeing her.
Jang, who was not acquainted with either of the stabbing victims, initially claimed that he had committed the crime while planning to take his own life, because "it wasn't fun to live."
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
