Teenager Arrested for Killing Peer on Christmas Night... Civic Group Calls It "Clear Gender Violence"

Victim, Woman Met for the First Time in Chat Room
Police Plan to Investigate Exact Motive of Crime

A teenage boy who brutally murdered a female peer he barely knew on Christmas Day has been detained, prompting civic groups to call for a tough response to gender-based violence.

According to Yonhap News on the 30th, the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency has arrested a teenage boy identified as A on suspicion of murder. A is accused of stabbing a female peer to death with a weapon at the entrance of an apartment in Sacheon, Gyeongnam, around 8:50 p.m. on Christmas Day, the 25th.

Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency. Yonhap News

Police investigations revealed that A had come to know the victim, B, through conversations over about four years in a social networking service (SNS) group chat that included B. Originally just a simple chatroom, A and B began building a closer relationship earlier this year by continuing one-on-one conversations on another SNS platform.

On the day of the crime, A traveled from his residence in Wonju, Gangwon-do, using public transportation to find B’s residence. He lured B out by saying, "I have something to give you," and then committed the crime.

Regarding the motive, A reportedly told the police that "the victim’s attitude toward me changed since April, and it seemed that B had a boyfriend. I didn’t want her to form a new relationship with another man, so I committed the crime and intended to kill myself afterward." Police are currently investigating and have found no accomplices involved with A.

Sacheon Women's Association Press Conference. Sacheon Women's Association

The police consider the motive unclear, noting that there was no relationship between the two. They plan to clarify the exact motive through mental health evaluations, forensic analysis of A’s cellphone, and psychological interviews.

Meanwhile, 126 civic organizations nationwide, including the Sacheon Women’s Association and the Busan Women’s Association, have classified this incident as gender-based violence and are urging the government to respond strictly.

At a press conference held in front of the Sacheon Police Station, the groups stated, "We cannot contain our anger over the sorrow and regret for the victim. This is a clear case of femicide that requires no questioning of the perpetrator’s motive or mental health." They emphasized, "The state has always been indifferent and has consistently ignored such gender-based violence. Even at this moment, women are dying, and we urge the government to take responsibility for the lives of the people."