The murder of Jeon Ju-hwan stalking in Sindang Station, Korea, in 2022

 On September 14, 2022, at around 21:00, Jeon Ju-hwan (31, male) killed a 28-year-old female station employee with a weapon in the women's restroom of Sindang Station on Seoul Subway Line 2. 

The victim was a colleague of the Seoul Transportation Corporation, and about a minute after pressing the emergency bell in the bathroom to ask for help, the station staff and social service personnel arrived and overpowered Jeon Joo-hwan. Nine minutes after the report, paramedics arrived and escorted the victim, but the victim died during surgery. Prior to this case, Jeon Ju-hwan was accused of illegally filming and stalking the victim and was on trial without detention after being released from his position. He reportedly killed the victim a day before he was sentenced to the first trial.

The perpetrator, Jeon Ju-hwan, was a colleague who joined the company in 2018 as an employee of the Seoul Transportation Corporation, and he stalked the victim more than 350 times through phone calls and text messages for about three years from November 2019. The victim sued the perpetrator on October 7, 2021 on charges of illegal filming and other charges. Early reports said there was sex between the two and that they were threatened through the footage, but according to the victim's uncle, the incident was "threatened by illegal filming on the station premises." In addition, it is said that when the victim worked at the same station, the perpetrator first found and reported that he had installed a hidden camera in the women's bathroom.

Police made an emergency arrest on Oct. 8, 2021, the day after they sued the perpetrator. The Seoul Western Police Station and the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office requested an arrest warrant for the perpetrator, but the Seoul Western District Court rejected the arrest warrant on the grounds that "there is no fear of destroying evidence or fleeing." Police have reportedly implemented personal protection measures centered on the victim for a month from October 8th, and the personal protection measures have been terminated at the request of the request. However, the perpetrator did not stop contacting the perpetrator afterwards, citing an agreement. Additionally, no restraining order or perpetrator-centered surveillance measures were taken.

When the perpetrator was again accused of stalking on January 27, 2022, the perpetrator "admits all charges. "I will not contact the victim in the future," he said, promising to prevent the recurrence of the crime. At this time, no arrest warrant was requested.

The perpetrator was indicted on charges of violating the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes in February 2022 (forced use of filming materials, etc.) and possession of filming materials using cameras in June. Even after the indictment, he reportedly forced an agreement, saying, "Are you going to ruin my life?" and continued to contact the victim. Accordingly, the perpetrator was sentenced to nine years in prison due to the merger of crimes and the failure to agree, and the first trial was scheduled for September 15.

Lawyer Min Go-eun, who defended the victim, said, "There were about 350 calls and text messages delivered by the perpetrator to the victim from November 2019 to October last year," adding, "Even after the complaint, we tried to contact the victim about 20 times until February this year." He also said, "When the victim said he had no intention of becoming a lover, the perpetrator's attempt to contact him became more troublesome," adding, "The perpetrator claimed to have been in a relationship, but in reality, it is only a relationship as a motive."

The perpetrator passed the CPA exam in 2016, but did not hold a full accountant's license because he did not complete his one-year probationary period. The reason for not completing the practical training is unknown. A legal official said, "The court also believes that suspects with stable professional jobs are less likely to run away when deciding whether to arrest them," adding, "This can be reflected in the rejection of the warrant."

The perpetrator was indicted on charges of assaulting a taxi driver and damaging public goods in 2020, and in 2018, he was a two-time criminal with a criminal record for distributing pornography. In addition, it was confirmed that this was known at the time of request for an arrest warrant in 2021.

Jeon Ju-hwan, who had been relieved of his position, was sentenced to nine years in prison on the morning of August 18, and visited Jeungsan Station on Line 6 in the afternoon to check the victim's work place and work schedule. Jeon Ju-hwan was relieved of his position, but he was still a construction worker because he was on trial. In addition, on September 3, the victim's work information was once again checked through the internal network at the station office of Gusan Station on Line 6. On September 14, the day of the crime, he stopped by Jeungsan Station and Gusan Station one after another to introduce himself as a "vacation Bulgwang Station employee" and used a terminal in the station to check and reconfirm the victim's work information.

On September 14, 2022, police arrested Jeon Ju-hwan, a suspect in the case, for murder. Jeon Ju-hwan is known to have chased the victim in the women's restroom at Sindang Station and killed her with a weapon in the bathroom compartment. Jeon Ju-hwan reportedly used a disposable ticket from Gusan Station on Line 6 to Sindang Station, wore a disposable sanitary hat, waited for the victim's appearance for about an hour and 10 minutes, and then executed the murder using a pre-prepared weapon. At this time, Jeon Joo-hwan showed an action suspected of wandering around the house where the victim lived in the past, mistaking a woman with a similar description as a victim and stepping behind. And after finding out that the victim's residence had changed, he went to her place of work and showed a premeditated action of planning the murder.

In a police investigation, Jeon Ju-hwan stated, "It's been a long time since I planned the crime," and regarding the motive, he reportedly stated to the effect that he committed the crime because of a trial. A police official said, "If it is confirmed as a retaliatory crime, we will also apply charges of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (revenge threat, etc.).

As for the victim, the Korea Transportation Corporation said, "My doctor said it would be difficult right after (transferred to the medical center), but he died during surgery." My parents came up from the provinces and the corporation is helping me with the funeral process. The person who works at the station has rarely died. It is a shocking and frightening situation. The whole corporation is considering countermeasures.I said that. Also, "The bereaved don't want to be knighted. I'm begging you not to report it. He's crying. "I don't want the article to be published (on personal information)." However, the bereaved families also hinted that they did not want the victim to be remembered simply as a victim of the incident. The victim's younger father said, "Even though my nephew was hurt enough to die, I pressed the emergency bell to arrest the criminal," adding, "If the criminal had run away, how much investigative power would have been wasted." "My nephew did what he had to do until the end," he said with tears in his eyes. In addition, the victim's sister pointed out that the victim's sexual violence and harassment in the workplace were insufficient, and the victim's eldest father also criticized the Seoul Transportation Corporation, saying, "It is necessary to work in pairs during vulnerable times."

September 15

Review of the disclosure of personal information and request for an arrest warrant were carried out. The interrogation of the suspect before arrest will take place at 3 p.m. on the 16th, and the date of the sentence for the merger of the two existing cases has been postponed to the 29th.

The Seoul Transportation Corporation said, "We will take legal action against the perpetrator of the 'Sindang Station Murder' by helping the bereaved family."

September 16

During the warrant review, Jeon Ju-hwan claimed to the police and the court that he had not planned the crime for a long time. Regarding the reason for wearing a shower cap at the time of the crime, he claimed, "I tried not to be caught that I was a man when I entered the women's bathroom," and stated that he did not prepare it carefully for the purpose of destroying evidence. If it is recognized as an accidental crime, the sentence can be lowered, so it seems to be making a statement on such an argument. However, the police believe that what they prepared to avoid being caught was planned. In particular, there is an analysis that Jeon Ju-hwan is trying to avoid it because the sentences of ordinary murder and retaliatory murder are more than twice the difference.

The Seoul Central District Court issued an arrest warrant for Jeon Joo-hwan, saying, "There is a risk of destroying evidence and running away." It was dismissed in October last year when the victim first sued.

September 19

The disclosure of the suspect's personal information was decided unanimously by all seven internal and external members of the Personal Information Disclosure Committee. The suspect is Jeon Joo-hwan, 31 years old (born in 1991) who has already been punished for assaulting a driver and distributing pornography before the incident.

September 20th

According to the police, Jeon Ju-hwan stated at a final hearing on August 18 that he decided to kill the victim after the prosecution demanded a nine-year prison term. Jeon stated that if an agreement is not reached by the sentencing trial, his life will end, so he has decided to kill the victim.

September 21st

Sent to the prosecution.

September 22nd

Lee Soo-jung, a professor at Kyunggi University, said, "The motive for the crime is closer to vindictiveness than resentment, and even if the suspect said so, he should not have told the media."

September 29th

Nine years in prison were sentenced to the first trial for violating the Sexual Violence Punishment Act (the threat of using cameras, filming, filming, etc.) and violating the Stalking Punishment Act. Shamelessly, Jeon Ju-hwan said, "Please delay the sentence as much as possible until public opinion calms down," and "I hope the public's interest will cool down." I used to make absurd remarks like that. As a result, the bereaved families were still angry, saying they were self-centered and did not reflect on themselves.

September 30th

Jeon Ju-hwan appealed.

October 4th

The prosecution filed an appeal on October 4th, considering that there were no orders to notify the disclosure of personal information and restrictions on employment.

October 6th

Under the Special Price Act, he was charged with retaliatory murder, violation of the Information and Communication Network Act, violation of the Personal Information Protection Act, and invasion of housing. As a result of the investigation into the Sindang Station stalking retaliatory murder case, 221006_press release (Sindang Station_Stalking_Revenge Murder_Case_Investigation_Result) - Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.pdf

January 10, 2023

A final hearing was held, and the prosecution demanded the death penalty and asked for 30 years to wear an electronic anklet.

February 7, 2023

The Seoul Central District Court sentenced Jeon Joo-hwan to 40 years in prison and ordered him to attach location tracking electronic devices for 15 years.