The father of the late director Kim Chang-min has called for a thorough investigation into his son's tragic death.
On the October 9th broadcast of MBC's current affairs program 'Live Morning', Kim Chang-min's father appeared to express his feelings about his son's death due to a group assault. He stated, "It's truly heartbreaking. My son received a director's award at the Police Human Rights Film Festival while working in the film industry. I had hoped that his work would gradually gain recognition and be shared with the world."
He recounted the events of the incident, saying, "On October 20th, my grandson, who has a disability, was set to go on a 2-night, 3-day camping trip. Although he doesn't speak well, he would take his father's hand to go where he wanted, and that's likely where they went."
However, when he received a call from the police station around 2 a.m. and rushed to the emergency room, his son was already in a coma, and the doctors said there was no hope. Director Kim was diagnosed with 'traumatic subdural hemorrhage' and was declared brain-dead a few days later. The father pleaded for the truth behind the "unjust murder case" to be revealed, stating that his son was "assaulted inside a restaurant and then dragged outside to a CCTV blind spot where further assault occurred."
He continued, "Hoping for a miracle, we maintained life support, but since we decided on organ donation, keeping him in that state for too long could cause issues with organ transplantation. After hearing the doctor's advice, we accepted the brain-death diagnosis."
The father added, "Since the incident, my grandson has been screaming, anxious, and going back and forth, needing psychiatric treatment and medication." He urged for a reinvestigation to uncover the truth behind the unjust death.
On October 20th last year, Director Kim Chang-min visited a restaurant in Guri, Gyeonggi Province, with his son, where he got into an altercation with other patrons. During the scuffle, he was punched and later transferred to a nearby hospital, where he eventually passed away. The family announced on social media that after being declared brain-dead on November 7th, he saved four lives through organ donation before passing away.
They added, "He appeared strong on the outside but was a warm and gentle person. We hope those who remember him will pray for his peaceful journey and cherish his memory warmly."
During the investigation, it was revealed that the police had listed Director Kim as a suspect for special threats. The Guri Police Station secured and analyzed CCTV footage from inside the restaurant and the alley where the assault occurred. Director Kim had visited the restaurant with his son, who has developmental disabilities, and got into a dispute. The CCTV showed him smoking with a group outside the restaurant and then picking up something from a table and running, but no footage of him wielding it was found. Later, footage showed B choking him and dragging him into the alley.
The police charged A with assault and applied for an arrest warrant, but it was returned by the prosecution for further investigation. Later, they applied for a warrant for A and B on charges of injury resulting in death, but the court dismissed it, citing a fixed residence and no risk of evidence destruction.
The bereaved family strongly criticized the initial police investigation as inadequate. Despite at least six perpetrators being involved in the assault, only one was identified as a suspect, and favorable circumstances were used as key evidence, leading to the dismissal of the arrest warrant. The father met with reporters on the 8th in front of the Uijeongbu District Prosecutors' Office Namyangju Branch, stating, "The initial investigation was inadequate, making it very difficult to overturn it," and "It's unacceptable to investigate the suspects without detention." He also shared the heartbreaking news that his grandson, who witnessed the incident, is suffering severe psychological trauma and is on medication.
Currently, the Gyeonggi Northern Police Agency is conducting an internal investigation into the Guri Police Station officials, and the prosecution has formed a dedicated team to begin a supplementary investigation. They are focusing on uncovering the truth, including questioning Director Kim's son, D (21), who witnessed the incident.
Reporter Na-yeon Jo, Ten Asia nybluebook@tenasia.co.kr