"Did a Crazy Thing, Sorry"... 'Sindang Station Stalking Murder Case' Jeon Joo-hwan Sent to Prosecution (Comprehensive)

On the 14th, Station Staff Murdered at Sindang Station... 2 Years of Stalking
Jeon Claims Impulsive Crime, but Police Investigate as Planned Crime

Suspect Jeon Juhwan in the 'Sindang Station Stalking Murder' case is being transferred from the Namdaemun Police Station detention center in Jung-gu, Seoul to the prosecution on the 21st. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Gong Byung-sun] Jeon Ju-hwan, who stalked and ultimately murdered a subway staff member in the women's restroom at Sindang Station in Seoul, has been handed over to the prosecution. As he left the detention center, he expressed his feelings, saying, "I did something crazy."

The Seoul Jungbu Police Station transferred Jeon to the prosecution on the morning of the 21st at around 7:30 a.m., charging him with violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (including retaliatory murder).

Appearing with his head bowed at the Seoul Namdaemun Police Station detention center, Jeon nodded in response to reporters' questions about whether he admitted the charges and said, "I am truly sorry." He also said, "I am really sorry. I did something really crazy." When asked if it was true that he intended to attend the trial after the crime, he replied, "That is correct." He also apologized to the bereaved families. Regarding his attempt to withdraw 17 million won before the crime, he explained, "I was going to give it to my parents." Four members of the Progressive Party appeared at the transfer site, shouting, "Strongly punish misogynistic crimes."

Jeon is accused of stabbing and killing victim A, who was a colleague from the Seoul Metro company, in the women's restroom at Sindang Station around 9 p.m. on the 14th. At the time of the crime, Jeon waited for about 1 hour and 10 minutes outside the women's restroom wearing a disposable shower cap. When A entered the restroom, he followed her inside and attacked her with a weapon. A pressed the emergency bell and called for help but died around 11:30 p.m. the same day.

Jeon reportedly claimed the crime was impulsive due to depression, but the police focused on investigating it as a planned crime. It was reported that Jeon visited A’s former residence four times starting 10 days before the crime. On the day of the crime, he visited Jeungsan Station and Gusan Station and confirmed A’s current workplace and former residence through the Seoul Metro internal network. At that time, Jeon introduced himself to the station staff at Jeungsan and Gusan as a Seoul Metro employee on leave. Jeon had been suspended from Seoul Metro last year.

He also appears to have attempted to destroy evidence. On the day of the crime, Jeon wore a reversible jumper with a yellow outer side and gray inner side. It is presumed he wore a shower cap on his head to avoid leaving hair or other evidence. To evade tracking, he installed a GPS signal jamming application on his phone and used a disposable subway ticket.

The police conducted forensic analysis on Jeon’s phone and searched his residence. During the search, they secured one tablet PC and one external hard drive. Additionally, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Behavioral Analysis Team interviewed Jeon the day before.

The police applied for an arrest warrant for Jeon on the 15th on murder charges. The court issued the warrant the next day, citing concerns about evidence destruction and flight risk. Subsequently, the police upgraded the charges to retaliatory murder under the special law. On the 19th, the police held a personal information disclosure review committee and decided to publicly release Jeon Ju-hwan’s face, name, age, and other personal details.

Jeon’s stalking began in 2019. From November 2019 to early October last year, he stalked A by sending illegal recordings and over 350 text messages. The police urgently arrested Jeon on charges of violating the Special Act on Sexual Violence Crimes and applied for an arrest warrant, but the Seoul Western District Court dismissed it, citing that Jeon had a fixed residence.

Afterward, Jeon resumed stalking A until February this year, pressuring her to settle. He was indicted in February for violating the Special Act on Sexual Violence Crimes and again in July for violating the Stalking Punishment Act. The two cases were consolidated, and a sentencing trial was scheduled for the 15th of this month. However, after Jeon committed murder, the sentencing was postponed to the 29th. The representative of A’s bereaved family stated that they requested the sentencing trial to be closed to the public and barred from attendance.