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Man who killed ex-girlfriend after judge rejected arrest warrant sentenced to 40 years

Published: 11 Dec. 2025, 15:32

The identity of a man who fatally stabbed a woman he had been stalking was revealed to be Yoon Jung-woo, 48, by police on June 19. [YONHAP]

A Daegu court on Thursday sentenced a man to 40 years in prison for murdering a woman who had reported him for stalking, months after another judge rejected a request to detain him because “he was cooperating with the investigation.”

The 48-year-old Yoon Jung-woo stabbed the woman more than 10 times after breaking into her sixth-floor apartment in June, according to the Daegu District Court’s western branch's ruling. He acted in retaliation after the victim ended their relationship and reported him to police for stalking and threats, the court ruling showed.

Daegu police disclosed the identity of the suspect in June, saying the brutality of the attack and the clear harm justified making his identity public.

The judge ordered Yoon to complete 40 hours of treatment for sex offenses and stalking, restricted his employment for five years, required his personal information to be registered for 15 years and mandated the use of an electronic tracking anklet for 20 years after release. The court cited the family’s plea for a heavy sentence, saying the victim’s relatives “must live with lifelong pain.”

Prosecutors said Yoon took sexually humiliating photos of the victim between January and April, when the two were in a relationship, and threatened her with a knife after seeing a call from another man. When she cut off contact, he went to her apartment in April and again threatened her, prompting her to report the situation to police.

Police arrested Yoon and sought a detention warrant that month, which prosecutors supported. But a judge rejected the request just two days later, saying Yoon cooperated with the investigation and “the grounds and necessity for detention were insufficient.”

The apartment building in Daegu where Yoon Jung-woo climbed to kill a woman he had been stalking on June 10, 2025, is seen in this file photo. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Yoon later told investigators he believed the victim's report would lead to severe punishment and decided to kill her. He was already under a suspended sentence for drunk driving at the time.

Police found he planned the attack in detail, choosing a time when few people were outside her residence. He had also photographed the apartment building’s exterior in advance to find a route that would avoid surveillance cameras. He climbed a gas pipe to enter through a window.

After the killing, Yoon fled in a car he had prepared and drove to Sejong, where police arrested him in a warehouse in Jochiwon County.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM JUNG-SEOK [[email protected]]