The fatal assault of a film director in Guri, Gyeonggi Province, has escalated into a major controversy over botched police work, prompting the prosecution to form a dedicated team to reinvestigate the case. Public outrage has intensified after it emerged that the bereaved family had to collect evidence on their own to redirect the investigation, while the two suspects remain free on bail after courts repeatedly rejected arrest warrants.
According to JTBC's "Case Chief," which aired on June 6, the incident occurred around 1:10 a.m. on October 20 last year at a restaurant in Sutaek-dong, Guri. The late director Kim Chang-min had visited the restaurant with his son to eat tonkatsu when a dispute over noise broke out with other customers. Kim was assaulted by two men in their 20s and collapsed. He was transported to a hospital, but his condition deteriorated and he was declared brain-dead on November 7 of the same year. Kim donated his organs, giving new life to four people, before passing away.
Police filed for an arrest warrant for Suspect A, one of the two men in their 20s involved in the assault, but the court rejected it. A warrant for accomplice Suspect B was also denied on grounds that he had a fixed residence and there was no risk of evidence destruction.
It also emerged that police initially identified only one assailant during the early investigation. The bereaved family personally obtained closed-circuit television footage and witness statements and submitted them to the prosecution. After the prosecution requested supplementary investigation, both suspects were referred to prosecutors without detention on charges of assault resulting in death.
As the controversy over the flawed investigation grew, the prosecution assembled a dedicated team of three prosecutors and five investigators and launched a reinvestigation. "We will conduct a swift and rigorous supplementary investigation incorporating forensic techniques and medical expertise," the prosecution said. The Gyeonggi Northern Provincial Police Agency is also currently reviewing whether the Guri Police Station's initial response was appropriate.
Photos of two men believed to be the assailants spread online. However, the "Case Chief" production team verified that one of the two men in the photos was unrelated to the case, and the other was a person who had actually been at the scene trying to break up the fight.
Allegations also surfaced that the assailants belonged to a local organized crime group in Guri. The organization in question said, "The two assailants are close acquaintances, but they are not members."
According to acquaintances, one of the actual assailants is a fitness trainer and the other operates a delivery business. Witnesses also reported seeing one of the assailants appearing at a gym and going for runs after the incident.
Public anger intensified further when it was revealed that one of the assailants released a hip-hop music track on May 17, approximately four months after Director Kim's death. The track was subsequently deleted from YouTube as the controversy grew. The bereaved family said they have not received any contact from the assailants' side since the incident, saying, "They are treating the bereaved family as if we are completely invisible."
Attorney Son Su-ho pointed out, "Video evidence exists that can confirm who did what and when, yet the results appear inconsistent with the actual facts," adding, "There needs to be an explanation for the public to be satisfied." Online, declarations demanding severe punishment for the assailants have continued to mount.