As the assailant accused of assaulting and causing the death of the late film director Kim Chang-min appeared on a YouTube channel to apologize, public criticism is growing stronger.
On the 9th, the YouTube channel "Karakula Detective Agency" posted a video titled "I am the killer of Director Kim Chang-min." A person surnamed Lee who appeared in the video said, "I am deeply sorry to the late Director Kim Chang-min and the bereaved family members who suffered harm, and I want to offer my apology."
Lee had previously sparked controversy by releasing a track titled "Thug" under the stage name "Culprit." In response to questions about this, Lee said, "It was a place I had prepared before the incident," and added, "It's a hip-hop-style expression of a first love I dated a long time."
In Oct. last year, Director Kim got into a dispute with Lee, in his 20s to 30s, and his group while dining with his son, who has a developmental disability, at a restaurant in Guri, Gyeonggi. Kim was assaulted during the altercation.
Kim was taken to a nearby hospital about an hour later but did not regain consciousness and was declared brain-dead on Nov. 7 last year. He later donated organs to give new life to four people and died.
Police sought an arrest warrant for the man who assaulted Kim, but prosecutors returned it, requesting further investigation. Police then reapplied for an arrest warrant on charges of injury resulting in death after complying with the bereaved family's request and the prosecutors' request for supplementary investigation. However, the Uijeongbu District Court Namyangju Branch rejected the warrant, citing a fixed residence and no risk of evidence destruction.
The bereaved family has strongly protested from the early stages of the case, saying the investigation was sloppy. Public outrage spread further after it became known that lyrics in a track released by the assailant included phrases such as "If you stare, I'll crumple your face," which appeared to demean the deceased.
Prosecutors have formed a dedicated investigation team and are conducting a reinvestigation.