Public outrage is mounting after it was revealed that the perpetrator who caused the death of the late Director Kim Chang-min acted with a clear intent to kill.
On May 11, a JTBC report revealed a phone conversation between the perpetrators, identified as Lee and Lim. The recording has shocked the public by exposing the perpetrator’s intent to kill the victim.
Initially, police only booked Lee. According to the report, immediately after the police investigation, Lee called his accomplice Lim and said, “I hit him to kill him, and when he seemed to be asleep, I hit him again.” Lee repeatedly expressed his intent to kill, stating, “I told him ‘just die’ and landed pounding punches,” and “I thought I should kill him with my own hands,” adding, “I had no other thought than to kill him.”
The recording also captured the perpetrators mocking the police, bringing the lax nature of the initial investigation into question.
In the call, Lee told Lim, “What’s really funny is that (the police) don’t think two people did it,” and “Because you pulled him away, they think you were trying to stop it.”
In fact, the police judged that Lim was trying to stop the fight and did not even book him. Lee hid Lim’s crimes, telling the police, “I stated that you (Lim) were just stopping it,” and “I didn’t mention that you put him in a headlock.” The police believed Lee’s statement blindly, ignoring evidence from CCTV footage of the crime.
As a result, Lim, who has seven prior convictions for violence and was on probation, was able to avoid arrest and remain free in society.
Once the truth about Director Kim Chang-min’s death became public, the police belatedly booked Lim through a supplementary investigation. However, they forwarded the case without conducting a search and seizure, leading to the rejection of arrest warrants twice. It is reported that a prosecution task force finally secured the recording during a search and seizure six months after the incident.
