Public outrage is mounting as evidence reveals that the perpetrators who killed Director Kim Chang-min through an indiscriminate assault showed a blatant intent to kill immediately after the crime.
According to a JTBC report on the 11th, the main suspect, Mr. Lee, spoke candidly about the brutal details of the crime during a phone call with accomplice Mr. Lim shortly after being questioned by police on the day of the incident.
In the released transcript, Lee stated, “I hit him to kill him, and when he seemed to have fallen asleep, I hit him again,” adding, “I delivered pounding punches while telling him, ‘Just die.'” He shocked many by repeatedly expressing his intent to kill, saying, “I felt I had to kill him with my own hands” and “I had no other thought than to kill him.”
Evidence also shows they tried to cover up the crime to evade investigation. Lee mockingly conspired with Lim, who had been excluded from the initial suspect list due to a lack of violent priors, saying, “The police don’t think two people did it,” and “You just testified that you were trying to stop it.”
This came to light six months after the incident through a search and seizure by a special prosecution team. Based on these recordings, the court issued arrest warrants for Lee and others on the 4th. The prosecution plans to change their charges from injury resulting in death to murder.
Previously, on the early morning of October 20 last year, Director Kim was assaulted by individuals following a dispute over noise in front of a restaurant in Guri, Gyeonggi Province. Director Kim was transported to the hospital but never regained consciousness and was declared brain dead 17 days later.
Even more heartbreaking were the last words Director Kim spoke before losing consciousness. He reportedly showed deep fatherly love, telling the responding police officers, “My son is in the restaurant,” worrying about his child left alone. Until his final moment, he sought to protect his son, and he left a noble legacy by donating his organs to four people before passing away.
Late Director Kim Chang-min began his career in 2013 as part of the props team for the movie ‘The Suspect’ and worked on major projects such as ‘The Great Kim Chang-soo’, ‘The Drug King’, and ‘The Witch’, garnering high expectations from the film industry. As a director, he built his own cinematic world through works like ‘Someone’s Daughter’, ‘Gu’s Station Exit 3’, ‘Boiler’, and ‘Reply’. He was recognized for his talent in 2016, winning the Director’s Award at the Police Human Rights Film Festival for ‘Someone’s Daughter’.
