A photo of Kim Chang-min from his social media page (Yonhap)
A photo of Kim Chang-min from his social media page (Yonhap)

Kim Chang-min, a film director who died in November, was later found to have been the victim of a fatal assault, raising questions over a delayed investigation and the decision not to detain the suspects.

The incident took place in the early hours of Oct. 20, when Kim visited a restaurant in Guri, Gyeonggi Province, with his son, according to police officials and his family on Tuesday. His family said the late-night outing was prompted by his son, who has autism spectrum disorder and had asked for tonkatsu, a breaded pork cutlet.

Kim became involved in a scuffle with other diners and was struck during the altercation, suffering critical injuries. He was declared brain-dead on Nov. 7, and his organs were later donated to four recipients.

His family has voiced frustration over the pace of the investigation, noting that months passed without suspects being taken into custody. The Namyangju branch of the Uijeongbu District Court rejected a request for arrest warrants for two suspects, citing no risk of flight or evidence destruction.

“Five months have passed since the incident, and the person who killed my son is still free,” Kim’s mother said. She also claimed that although a university hospital was located nearby when Kim collapsed, a delay of about an hour in transferring him may have cost him his chance at survival.

Born in 1985, Kim worked on several hit films as a crew member before directing his own projects, including the 2019 short film “Guui Station Exit No. 3.” The 27-minute film drew critical acclaim and won best director at the Police Human Rights Film Festival hosted by the National Police Agency.


minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com