The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
  • Login
  • Register
  • Login
  • Register
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
  • 1

    Revised Japanese textbooks distort wartime forced labor, catching Korea off guard

  • 3

    Chun Doo-hwan's grandson apprehended at Incheon Int'l Airport over drug use

  • 5

    Clock ticks for China's massive repatriation of N. Korean defectors

  • 7

    Gold price nears all-time high amid financial jitters

  • 9

    From IVE to NCT DOJAEJUNG, K-pop hotshots brace for April chart race

  • 11

    BTS' Jimin tops Spotify's global chart with 'Like Crazy'

  • 13

    CJ CheilJedang sees chicken as next big seller after frozen dumpling

  • 15

    Over 1,000 financially vulnerable Koreans apply for new emergency gov't loans

  • 17

    INTERVIEWChoi Min-sik, Lee Dong-hwi on creating Korean-style noir with 'Big Bet'

  • 19

    Ra Mi-ran, Lee Re to lead fantasy drama 'The Mysterious Candy Store'

  • 2

    Actor Yoo Ah-in once again apologizes for alleged drug use

  • 4

    Korea to ease entry rules to boost tourism, domestic spending

  • 6

    'My ID is Gangnam Beauty' to be adapted into live action series in Thailand

  • 8

    BMW launches new XM

  • 10

    Ramsar wetland in Han River cleaned up for protected birdlife

  • 12

    North Korea unveils tactical nuclear warheads

  • 14

    Civic groups in Gwangju await meeting with Chun Doo-hwan's grandson

  • 16

    2024 budget to focus on tackling low birthrate

  • 18

    Suspect identified in Nashville school shooting that killed 3 children, 3 staff

  • 20

    Samsung Pay partners with Hana Financial to issue student IDs

Close scrollclosebutton

Close for 24 hours

Open
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
Thu, March 30, 2023 | 22:45
Society
Unification Church confirms mother of Abe's suspected killer was former member
Posted : 2022-07-11 16:45
Updated : 2022-07-11 16:46
Park Han-sol
Print PreviewPrint Preview
Font Size UpFont Size Up
Font Size DownFont Size Down
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • kakaolink
  • whatsapp
  • reddit
  • mailto
  • link
Tetsuya Yamagami, who is suspected of killing former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Friday, is escorted by police officers as he is taken to prosecutors in Nara, Japan, Sunday, in this photo taken by Kyodo. Reuters-Yonhap
Tetsuya Yamagami, who is suspected of killing former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Friday, is escorted by police officers as he is taken to prosecutors in Nara, Japan, Sunday, in this photo taken by Kyodo. Reuters-Yonhap

By Park Han-sol

The Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, more commonly known as the Unification Church, confirmed on Sunday that the mother of the suspect in the fatal shooting of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had been a member.

The 41-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami ― who was arrested at the scene of the crime in Nara, Japan, after opening fire with his handmade weapon during Abe's campaign speech on Friday ― allegedly believed that the Japanese former leader had ties to the religious organization, which led to his family's financial distress.

"We contacted the Tokyo-based branch to verify that the suspect's mother was a member of the church. They said she was, but we were told she has not attended any gatherings recently," the Unification Church's Korean representative told several local news outlets.

"There is no information available as of the present about the size of the donations the mother made to the church or the dates of her attendance," he added.

Founded in 1954 by Moon Sun-myung, a self-proclaimed messiah, the controversial church claims to have at least 3 million members worldwide. After the founder's death in 2012, it was split into a number of sects, in addition to the main branch of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification that is currently controlled by Moon's widow, Han Hak-ja.

Yamagami told investigative officials that he held a grudge against "a certain religious organization" of which his mother was a member, Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun reported on Sunday, citing Nara prefectural police.

"My mother was a believer who made a large donation to the group and went bankrupt," he was quoted as saying.

Tetsuya Yamagami, who is suspected of killing former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Friday, is escorted by police officers as he is taken to prosecutors in Nara, Japan, Sunday, in this photo taken by Kyodo. Reuters-Yonhap
Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe / Reuters-Yonhap

According to the Asahi Shimbun, Yamagami's father had run a construction company but died during his childhood. After his mother took over the business, she began to donate huge sums to the religious sect, eventually filing for bankruptcy in the Nara District Court in 2002. Her company shut down seven years later.

The suspect had originally intended to launch an attack on the church's leader, with whom he had difficulty making contact. He subsequently switched his target to Abe, the police said, after coming to believe that the former prime minister had a connection with the group.

Last September, Abe appeared via a pre-recorded video message at the Think Tank 2022 Rally of Hope for the Realization of a Heavenly Unified Korea, an online international event co-hosted by the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification and the Universal Peace Federation (UPF).

Abe said in his message, "I would like to pay tribute to all of you, including President Han Hak-ja, who have worked together with the UPF to resolve disputes around the world, especially for the peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula."

Other speakers of the day included former U.S. President Donald Trump and former European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Park Jin told the Korean press on Monday at Abe's memorial altar set up by the Japanese Embassy in Seoul that "no dialogue has been launched" between the two countries in regard to the reports on the alleged link between Yamagami's motive and the Unification Church.


Emailhansolp@koreatimes.co.kr Article ListMore articles by this reporter
 
Top 10 Stories
1Korea to ease entry rules to boost tourism, domestic spending Korea to ease entry rules to boost tourism, domestic spending
2Korea moves to shorten COVID-19 isolation period to 5 days Korea moves to shorten COVID-19 isolation period to 5 days
3[INTERVIEW] Can art become stable investment source? INTERVIEWCan art become stable investment source?
4Will dismantling oligopoly result in successful bank industry reform? Will dismantling oligopoly result in successful bank industry reform?
5Generation Z entrepreneurs turn oyster shells into trendy dish soap Generation Z entrepreneurs turn oyster shells into trendy dish soap
6Terraform Labs co-founder's extradition could be delayed more than 1 month Terraform Labs co-founder's extradition could be delayed more than 1 month
7Celltrion chairman vows to develop new drugs, initiate M&As Celltrion chairman vows to develop new drugs, initiate M&As
8Fintech, lifestyle products can help Korea grow trade ties with Hong Kong: city's trade promotion chief in Korea Fintech, lifestyle products can help Korea grow trade ties with Hong Kong: city's trade promotion chief in Korea
9Top envoy to US tapped as new national security advisor Top envoy to US tapped as new national security advisor
10Ex-journalist to lead NK defector support foundation Ex-journalist to lead NK defector support foundation
Top 5 Entertainment News
1'My ID is Gangnam Beauty' to be adapted into live action series in Thailand 'My ID is Gangnam Beauty' to be adapted into live action series in Thailand
2From IVE to NCT DOJAEJUNG, K-pop hotshots brace for April chart race From IVE to NCT DOJAEJUNG, K-pop hotshots brace for April chart race
3[INTERVIEW] Choi Min-sik, Lee Dong-hwi on creating Korean-style noir with 'Big Bet' INTERVIEWChoi Min-sik, Lee Dong-hwi on creating Korean-style noir with 'Big Bet'
4Ra Mi-ran, Lee Re to lead fantasy drama 'The Mysterious Candy Store' Ra Mi-ran, Lee Re to lead fantasy drama 'The Mysterious Candy Store'
5IU says she was excited to share screen with Park Seo-joon in 'Dream' IU says she was excited to share screen with Park Seo-joon in 'Dream'
DARKROOM
  • Turkey-Syria earthquake

    Turkey-Syria earthquake

  • Nepal plane crash

    Nepal plane crash

  • Brazil capital uprising

    Brazil capital uprising

  • Happy New Year 2023

    Happy New Year 2023

  • World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

    World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

CEO & Publisher : Oh Young-jin
Digital News Email : webmaster@koreatimes.co.kr
Tel : 02-724-2114
Online newspaper registration No : 서울,아52844
Date of registration : 2020.02.05
Masthead : The Korea Times
Copyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Introduction
  • History
  • Contact Us
  • Products & Services
  • Subscribe
  • E-paper
  • RSS Service
  • Content Sales
  • Site Map
  • Policy
  • Code of Ethics
  • Ombudsman
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Copyright Policy
  • Family Site
  • Hankook Ilbo
  • Dongwha Group