A scene from the ‘Attack on Titan’ anime
Park Jung-hyun, former editor at Kodansha and a key figure behind the manga’s success attack on Titanhas been sentenced to 11 years in prison for murdering his wife, the Tokyo District Court announced on Wednesday, ending a case that has captured public attention for more than three years. Tokyo Reporter.
The court found Park guilty of strangling his 38-year-old wife Kanako in their Bunkyo Ward residence in the early morning hours of August 9, 2016. Although his defense claimed Kanako had committed suicide, the court ruled that Park acted with “strong intent” to kill her. The prosecution, which sought a 15-year prison sentence, argued that Park’s actions were premeditated and motivated by malice.
During the trial, Park insisted on his innocence, saying “I did not kill my wife.” However, the presiding judge dismissed the suicide claim as “unrealistic”, and described Park’s guilt as particularly “malicious”. The defense’s argument that Kaneko had hanged herself with Park’s jacket was also rejected by the court.
The incident came to light when police responded to a distress call on the morning of August 9. They found Kanako lying face down at the bottom of a staircase. She was declared dead at a nearby hospital about an hour later. The autopsy revealed that suffocation due to pressure around her neck was the cause of death.
Park’s story changed during the investigation. Initially, he told police that his wife had fallen down the stairs. He later changed his story and claimed that she had committed suicide. The defense argued that Park changed his story to protect his children from the stigma of suicide. However, this claim did not hold up in court.
Park began his career at Kodansha in 1999 and became an editor attack on Titan when it was launched in Bessatsu Shonen Magazine in 2009. Written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama, the series soon became a global phenomenon, known for its gripping storylines and complex characters.
attack on Titan Follows the story of Eren Yeager and his battle against man-eating giants in a sinister world. The manga ended its serialization in April 2021, cementing its status as one of the best-selling manga series of all time, with a circulation of over 140 million copies. The anime adaptation of the series will end its run in November 2023.
