Setagaya Murder Trial: Victim’s Ex-Husband Gives Emotional Testimony After Facing Her Alleged Stalker

He admitted to stalking but denied intent to kill

A lay-judge trial began at the Tokyo District Court on August 19 for a man accused of murder and other charges after allegedly stabbing his female romantic partner in the neck with a knife and killing her.

The incident occurred in broad daylight on September 1 last year. In Setagaya, Tokyo, South Korean national Park Young-jun (31), the defendant, killed his former romantic partner, South Korean national Bang Ji-won (40 at the time). Park is charged with murder and violating the Stalker Control Law.

“At the first hearing on August 19, Park denied having an intent to kill, saying, ‘I did not commit the murder with the intention of killing her.’ He admitted to violating the Stalker Control Law. According to prosecutors, the two met on social media and began a long-distance relationship around April last year. When Park came to Japan in August of the same year, the two had a dispute over their relationship, and Bang consulted the police. The police urged Park to return to South Korea and accompanied him to Narita Airport, but Park canceled his flight. From August 29, he repeatedly engaged in stalking behavior, such as showing up at Bang’s home and sending her messages on social media.

On September 1, he allegedly lay in wait for Bang at her workplace from the morning and stabbed her in the neck, killing her. Because the incident occurred in a quiet residential neighborhood in Setagaya Ward, the Japanese wide-show programs extensively reported it at the time as the ‘Setagaya Stalker Murder Case,’ making it a major topic of discussion.” (National newspaper social affairs reporter)

At the first hearing on August 19, Park’s defense team argued:

“He was hurt after hearing Bang speak negatively about Park during a phone call with her former husband.”

They also claimed:

“He had the knife with him to kill himself, and during a struggle, the knife ended up stabbing her.”

At the following hearing on August 20, Bang’s former husband appeared to testify as a witness. He came face-to-face with Park.

Park sat beside his lawyers, wearing a white dress shirt and beige jacket. With his fair, round face and center-parted, naturally wavy hair, he appeared younger than his actual age. In contrast, Bang’s former husband was slender, with his hair closely cropped at the back and sides, giving him a sharp and masculine appearance. The two presented a stark contrast.

The prosecution began by asking the former husband about how he had met Bang. What follows is the former husband’s account of how the two met and the events leading up to the incident.

“Oppa, Oppa!”—A scream rang out

The former husband was a first-year high school student and Bang was a third-year middle school student when the two met in South Korea. They married in 2015. The two continued working in the apparel industry together and came to Japan in 2018. Describing Bang’s personality, he said, “She was very good at her job. She was a little more fearful than an average person.” The two divorced in March 2025, but continued their relationship as business partners.

In April 2025, a DM suddenly arrived on the former husband’s Instagram from Park. Park told him, “I want to communicate through KakaoTalk (editor’s note: a free calling and messaging app),” so when the former husband contacted him through KakaoTalk, Park began boasting that “I have more money than you” and “I run a hotel,” and then unilaterally told him:

“I can’t get in touch with Bang, so please tell her to contact me.”

The former husband became suspicious, saying:

“I thought it was strange to talk like that when meeting someone for the first time. I wondered whether he might have some kind of mental problem.”

When the former husband told Bang about his exchanges with Park, she asked him to block him. This was the first time the former husband had heard from Bang about her relationship with Park.

According to what she told him, Bang had been suffering from domestic violence at Park’s hands. When she spent Park’s birthday in South Korea, he allegedly strangled her and pulled both of her arms forcefully. People nearby who witnessed this called the police, leading to a police response. Even after Park came to Japan last August, he allegedly slapped her across the face repeatedly. Bang had consulted her former husband, saying things such as “He won’t go back to South Korea” and “How can I break up with him safely?”

When Park showed up at Bang’s home on August 29, she consulted the police. The police urged Park to return to South Korea and escorted him to Narita Airport on August 31, but it was discovered that Park had not boarded the plane. The former husband then took Bang to his own home for safety.

However, they were unable to prevent the incident.

On September 1, the former husband and Bang were working at a studio in Setagaya from the morning with several staff members. At around 1:30 p.m., Bang went outside the studio to smoke an e-cigarette, when a scream of “Oppa, oppa!” rang out.

When the prosecution asked, “What does oppa mean?” the former husband explained:

“It means older brother in Japanese, and it is used as an affectionate way of addressing someone. She was referring to me.”

After hearing the scream, the former husband said, “I thought the defendant had come,” and went outside the studio. He testified:

“I saw Bang covered in blood and someone wearing black clothes running away.”

He tried to chase the attacker, but Bang was bleeding heavily and her lower lip was trembling, so he stayed with her and pressed his left hand against her neck in an attempt to stop the bleeding. The former husband described what happened at the time, accompanying his testimony with gestures. While waiting for the ambulance to arrive, he repeatedly spoke to Bang, who was unconscious:

“I kept telling her, ‘Please hang in there just a little longer.’”

The former husband also rode in the ambulance, but was told of Bang’s death at the hospital where she was taken. Even as the former husband gave his testimony through tears, there was no change whatsoever in Park’s expression.

The former husband described the victim as a good partner

Next, Park’s lawyer conducted a cross-examination. When asked, “Why did you get divorced?” the former husband explained that “There had been disagreements over having a baby for some time,” saying that the two had different views on whether they should have children. He said another reason was the defendant’s presence.

“I knew she had been in contact with Park (even before our divorce). Her smartphone had been left unlocked, and I could see their KakaoTalk messages. (The content) was the kind of exchange you would have between a man and a woman when their relationship was going well.”

Having sensed the presence of another man, they chose to divorce because both of us brought it up.

The lawyer repeatedly focused on the relationship between the former husband and Bang after their divorce. Even after divorcing, when Bang’s mother and younger sister came to Japan, he would go out to eat with them, and he had also delivered homemade kimchi to Bang when she had made too much. When asked how he felt about Bang, he remembered her fondly:

“We were divorced, but there were no hard feelings. She was a good friend and a good business partner.”

The former husband and Bang had built a new relationship after their divorce, but it was severed by Park’s distorted feelings. Park’s verdict is expected to be handed down soon.