▲ A photo of indie film director Kim Chang-min taken from his social media (Yonhap)

film director death-truth

Cause of rising film director's death belatedly confirmed as assault

SEOUL, March 31 (Yonhap) -- Indie film director Kim Chang-min, who was reported to have died after collapsing from a cerebral hemorrhage last October, was belatedly revealed to have actually died from an assault, his bereaved family said Tuesday.

Kim died at a hospital on Nov. 7 last year at age 40 after collapsing at a restaurant in Guri, just east of Seoul, in the early hours of Oct. 20, and his organs were donated to four people.

Kim's family disclosed that he actually died after being assaulted by other customers at the restaurant but a court has dismissed the arrest warrants for the assault suspects.

They vented their anger, claiming that the entire process, from the police's initial response and investigation following the assault to the punishment of the suspects, was inadequate.

"Kim visited the 24-hour restaurant on the day of the incident because his son, who has autistic tendencies, suddenly wanted to eat pork cutlets," a family member said.

"During the meal, an argument and physical altercation broke out with customers sitting at another table due to issues such as noise and Kim was struck by a fist and fell to the floor. He was transferred to a nearby hospital about an hour later but eventually died," the family member said.

The police applied for arrest warrants for the two assault suspects on charges of manslaughter, but the Namyangju branch of the Uijeongbu District Court has dismissed the request, stating that they have stable residences and there is no risk of evidence destruction.

Ultimately, the police handed the case over to the prosecution last week without detaining the suspects. Kim's family is outraged that five months have passed since the incident yet the suspects are still freely roaming the streets.

The late Kim debuted in 2016 with "Someone's Daughter" and went on to direct many socially conscious films, including "Guui Station Exit No. 3." He won Best Director at the 2016 Police Human Rights Film Festival.

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