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| ▲ A man (C) accused of fatally assaulting film director Kim Chang-min last year arrives for his arrest warrant hearing at the Namyangju branch of the Uijeongbu District Court in Namyangju, northeast of Seoul, on May 4, 2026. (Yonhap) |
film director death-suspects
Arrest warrants issued for 2 men over fatal assault of film director
NAMYANGJU, South Korea, May 4 (Yonhap) -- A court on Monday issued arrest warrants for two men accused of fatally assaulting film director Kim Chang-min, more than six months after his death.
Kim was assaulted outside a restaurant in Guri, just east of Seoul, on Oct. 20 in a dispute over noise, before later dying in a hospital on Nov. 7 after being declared brain-dead.
The Namyangju branch of the Uijeongbu District Court issued the warrants for the two 31-year-old suspects, surnamed Lee and Lim, citing risks of flight and destruction of evidence.
The case received belated nationwide attention following revelations that earlier requests for the suspects' warrants had been rejected. The court earlier dismissed the requests, saying the suspects did not pose flight risks.
Last month, the prosecution formed a special team to handle the case and re-filed the warrant requests based on a revamped investigation that included witness questioning of Kim's son, who has a developmental disability and was present at the scene of the assault.
The late Kim directed the 2016 short film "No one's Daughter," which earned him Best Director at the Police Human Rights Film Festival that year. His other works include the 2019 film "Guui Station Exit No. 3."
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