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[JAPANESE] Punishment and Crime: A Socially-Conscious Mystery Novel scrap

by Matsuda Kanongo link Translated by Kalau Almonygo link November 27, 2025

Author Bio 작가 소개

장강명

Chang Kang-myoung

Chang Kang-myoung has published eight novels, one short story collection, and one essay collection. He has received the Surim Literary Award, Jeju 4•3 Peace Prize, and Munhakdongne Writer Award. Before turning to writing, he worked as a journalist for over a decade and received the Journalist of the Month Award from the Journalists Association of Korea, Kwanhun Club Press Award, and Dong-A Ilbo Press Award.

When I heard that Chang Kang-myoung had published a mystery novel, I was a bit surprised. While his previous works have spanned a wide range of genres, mysteries are a territory all their own, with their own unique philosophy that mustn’t be ignored. They require trickery and alibis so as not to disappoint readers’ expectations. I found myself slightly anxious as I picked up 罰と罪 (Punishment and Crime), the new Japanese translation of Chang’s Jaesusa (Reinvestigation), simply because he wasn’t a professional mystery writer. Would I be able to read this new novel with the same high hopes I have whenever one of his new books comes out? What would I do if I found myself disappointed? But once I started reading, I saw that my concerns were unfounded. 

 

The plot follows Detective Yeon Ji-hye of the Seoul Metropolitan Police’s Violent Crime Unit and her team as they reopen a twenty-two-year-old murder case. The crime happened in Sinchon. The victim was Min So-rim, a beautiful college student. Someone’s bodily fluids were found on her body, and security footage captured a suspicious person. Yet despite the evidence, no suspects were arrested, and the case remained unsolved. Upon reopening the case, Yeon Ji-hye questions members of the Dostoevsky book club So-rim belonged to, her English conversation teacher, and the young boy she tutored, but still cannot track down a suspect. Then, at the end of her obsessive search, Ji-hye notices an inconsistency in the testimony of a certain individual. And when she does, her life is also put in danger. Who was the killer, and why did they murder So-rim?

 

The odd-numbered chapters are told from the perspective of the murderer, and the even-numbered ones depict the investigation led by Ji-hye and the other detectives. By alternating between the thoughts of the pursued and the realities of the pursuer, the reader is granted a bird’s-eye view of the chase, a thrilling cat-and-mouse game that will leave you breathless.

 

The novel begins with a soliloquy from the murderer reflecting on the crime they committed twenty-two years ago. This criminal—a self-proclaimed “mirror image” of Raskolnikov from Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment—fears and comes into conflict with not their own guilty conscience, but the punishment they will face after arrest (in other words, the criminal justice system). Dostoevsky’s works are masterpieces that intertwine deep reflections on the society of their time with careful portrayals of their characters’ psychology, depicting human truths and contradictions. The references to Dostoevsky’s novels make these glimpses into the killer’s twisted understanding of their crime all the more striking. Ultimately, the interpretation of any work is up to the reader, but Chang’s criminal employs an arguably self-centered interpretation of events to analyze and concoct a logical justification for their crime. Not only is this novel enjoyable for its story, but also for the way it leaves one pondering whether this criminal could really be a sort of Raskolnikov, once the entire picture becomes clear.

 

The greatest pleasure of reading a mystery novel is, of course, solving its riddle. Mysteries often employ the “whodunit,” “howdunit,” or “whydunit” approach, and this work falls primarily into the “whodunit” category. In other words, it is mostly concerned with tracking down the criminal. And in such a novel, the author must provide sufficient hints for the reader to identify the criminal. On this front, I am left with some doubt as to whether there were enough clues left for the reader. But actual criminal investigations do not always have sufficient evidence to track down a criminal and frequently wind up heading off course. The reality of just such an investigation hitting a rough patch is portrayed with such care and detail that the novel made me feel as if I was watching a police documentary. Chang spent a year interviewing multiple police officers in order to write this book. His careful research underpins the reality of these depictions of the police world.

 

The Japanese translation also deserves special mention. It is both true to the original and reads very smoothly. Unnatural Japanese would keep readers from immersing themselves in the work. Of course, a natural translation speaks to the translator’s ability, and the Japanese translation maintains a quick tempo, reading as though it were originally written in Japanese. Police jargon and abbreviations are marked with rubi characters, a technique that effectively gets across both the unique flavor of the police world and the tension of working in the field. Not only is the story engaging, but the skillful translation is captivating in its own right.

 

There are still very few Korean mystery novels that have been translated into Japanese. Punishment and Crime will offer readers of Japanese a refreshing, new reading experience.

 

translated by Kalau Almony 

Writer 필자 소개

Matsuda Kanon

Matsuda Kanon

Matsuda Kanon translates Korean literature and writes on Korean culture.

Translator 번역가 소개

Kalau Almony

Kalau Almony

Kalau Almony is a Japanese-English literary translator based in Kawasaki, Japan. His translations include the works of Fuminori Nakamura, Tahi Saihate, Shinya Tanaka, Noboru Tsujihara, and Jose Ando. He is a 2025 National Endowment for the Arts Translation Fellow.

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