The death of the late director Kim Chang-min following a group assault has only recently come to light, and newly released video of the incident is fueling public anger.
Footage released by JTBC on the 31st shows a group of men in their 20s cornering Kim and beating him together.
The fight spilled from inside the restaurant to outside. After being struck in the face, Kim collapsed to the ground. Even after he fell, the assailants continued the attack, according to reports.
At the time, Kim was dining with his son, who has a developmental disability, and a noise dispute sparked the incident. Assaulted in front of his son, Kim was taken to a hospital about an hour later but never regained consciousness, and he was declared brain-dead on November 7 last year, roughly two weeks after the attack.
Guri Police Station in Gyeonggi Province referred two men in their 20s, identified as A and B, without detention on charges of injury resulting in death. Police initially sought a detention warrant for one suspect, but prosecutors sent it back for further review. After reinvestigating, police added an accomplice and applied again. However, the Uijeongbu District Court Namyangju Branch rejected the warrant both times, citing a fixed residence and low flight risk.
In an interview with JTBC, Kim’s father said, “We got a call from the police substation and when we arrived, my son was out of it.” His younger sister added, “I’m terrified knowing the assailant lives within 10 kilometers.”
Kim had pledged to be an organ donor in his lifetime. After his passing, his heart, liver, and both kidneys were donated, saving four lives. The Korea Organ Donation Agency expressed deep gratitude to the late director and his family for sharing life through donation.
Kim drew attention in 2016 when he won the Best Director Award at the Police Human Rights Film Festival for the film ‘Nobody's Daughter,’ and continued delivering socially conscious work with ‘Guui Station Exit No.3’ in 2019. He also worked on the art teams for multiple films, including ‘The Witch,’ ‘The Drug King,’ and ‘Firefighters,’ remaining active in Chungmuro.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)
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