Former Kodansha editor sentenced to 11 years for murdering wife in 2016

On Saturday, July 20, 2024, the Tokyo High Court upheld the guilty verdict and 11-year prison sentence for former Kodansha editor Jung-hyun Park. The retrial was for the murder of his wife at their home in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo, Japan.

The murder occurred on the morning of August 9, 2016, and Park was apprehended several months later in early January 2017. During the time of his arrest, Park held the position of former editor for Kodansha’s Bessatsu Shonen Magazine and assistant editor-in-chief for Morning magazine.

Former Kodansha editor’s retrial sees no change in sentencing from Tokyo High Court

The retrial of Park in Tokyo concluded earlier this week, with the original verdict and sentencing being upheld. This decision was based on the lack of credibility in Park’s claims of his wife’s suicide. According to initial reports from his arrest in January 2017, Park stated that his wife had taken her own life. However, this was contradicted by an autopsy which reportedly revealed signs of strangulation on Kanako’s neck. At the time of Kanako’s death, both Park and their four children were present in their home.

According to police reports, a review of surveillance footage from a nearby security camera did not reveal any evidence of another individual entering the vicinity or the couple’s familial residence. At 2:45 AM on August 9, 2016, Park contacted emergency services for his wife, stating that he had discovered her collapsed at the bottom of the stairs upon returning home. Despite being rushed to the hospital, she was tragically pronounced dead upon arrival.

The Supreme Court of Japan ordered a retrial of Park’s case after his original 11-year sentence was handed down in the first two trials due to the fact that it was not fully completed. The Tokyo High Court also tried the case again for a third time. According to presiding judge Kazunori Ie, the first-instance ruling that Park, the former deputy editor, killed his wife by squeezing her neck on the mattress in the bedroom was deemed reasonable.

According to Park, he restrained Kanako, who was brandishing a knife, using a mattress before exiting to a different room. He later reported hearing a disturbance outside the door and asserted that he witnessed her taking her own life. However, Ie disputed these claims, stating that Kanako’s behavior was “too abrupt and unnatural”and questioning the credibility of Park’s statements.

During his tenure at Kodansha, Park played a crucial role in the launch of Bessatsu Shonen Magazine, which saw the serialization of the popular manga series, Attack on Titan, in its inaugural issue. He was heavily involved in the production of the manga during this time. Additionally, Park was instrumental in the creation of other successful manga series such as Great Teacher Onizuka and The Seven Deadly Sins.

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