The man in his 30s who assaulted the late director Kim Chang-min, leading to his death, has issued a public apology, saying he knows he "committed a deadly sin."
According to a Newsis report on Wednesday, suspect Lee, in his 30s, said on Tuesday night that he "knows he committed a deadly sin against Director Kim Chang-min and his bereaved family" and that he "wanted to apologize first, even if through the media."
Lee said, "I did not know the contact information of Director Kim's bereaved family, so I conveyed my intention to apologize and reach a settlement to investigative authorities multiple times, but I did not receive a response. This should be recorded in my interrogation transcript." He added, "I wanted to keep meeting and apologizing to them, but I had no way to obtain their contact information. I am deeply sorry that I ended up apologizing through the media first, and if given the opportunity, I will visit them to apologize in person."
Lee said, "I know that no words of apology will bring comfort to the bereaved family, and I have no intention of evading responsibility." However, he added, "I just want to say that I had no intention of harming Director Kim and that I tried to avoid starting a fight."
Regarding the circumstances on the day of the incident, he said, "Many details have been reported incorrectly, but I don't think it's appropriate to address them now. What happened that day will be clarified in detail during the prosecution's investigation and trial process."
He added, "I know that many people have been harmed by this incident and that the damage has spread even to unrelated people. I will cooperate sincerely with the prosecution's investigation, so please wait until the results come out."
According to JTBC's 'Crime Desk' program that aired on Monday, the incident occurred at around 1:10 a.m. on October 20 last year at a restaurant in Sutaek-dong, Guri. Director Kim Chang-min had visited the restaurant with his son to eat pork cutlet when a dispute arose with other customers over noise. He was assaulted by two men in their 20s and collapsed. Director Kim was transported to a hospital but his condition deteriorated, and he was declared brain dead on November 7 of the same year. He passed away after donating his organs to give new life to four people.
The bereaved family has strongly protested, claiming the initial police investigation was inadequate. In particular, controversy erupted when it was revealed that one of the assailants recently released a hip-hop track titled 'Thug' with lyrics such as "look at me and I'll crumple your face," which was seen as mocking the deceased.
The prosecution has now formed a dedicated investigation team and has effectively launched a reinvestigation.