"Apologized Immediately After Swearing, Only Hit Three Times": Suspect in Late Director Kim Changmin's Case Claims Innocence

Appeared on SBS "Curious Story Y": "He Swore at Us"
Minister of Justice Jeong Seong-ho: "We Will Ensure No Injustice Remains"

The suspect who caused the death of the late director Kim Changmin by assaulting him expressed his frustration regarding the incident in a televised interview.

Screenshot of Curious Story Y

On April 17, SBS's "Curious Story Y" covered the group assault and death case of director Kim Changmin and aired an exclusive interview with the suspect.

Previously, on October 20 last year, at around 1 a.m., director Kim visited a restaurant in Guri, Gyeonggi Province to have a meal with children with developmental disabilities. There, he got into a dispute with men at another table over noise, which escalated into an assault and ultimately resulted in his death.

In the restaurant's released closed-circuit (CC)TV footage, one man can be seen choking director Kim from behind and knocking him down, while another man drags Kim, already collapsed, out of the frame and onto the street.

About an hour later, director Kim was transported to a nearby hospital with multiple bruises on his face and blood pooling inside his ear. He never regained consciousness. On November 7 last year, he was declared brain-dead and gave new life to four people through organ donation before passing away.

Mr. Lee, identified as the main perpetrator, said in the broadcast interview, "First of all, I truly want to offer my deepest apologies to the late director Kim Changmin." However, he also claimed, "From my standpoint, the facts are becoming increasingly distorted as time goes on."

He continued, "Isn't it natural to talk loudly and drink in a bar? When director Kim cursed at us and said, 'Hey, shut up and eat quietly,' I immediately bowed my head and said, 'I'm sorry.'"

Mr. Lee also denied allegations of indiscriminate violence, arguing that he did not beat director Kim to death by striking him multiple times but only hit him three times.

However, a witness at the scene at the time said, "The child had to urinate twice since his father was dragged away," adding, "That child must have been anxious." One of Mr. Lee's companions also described the situation, stating, "There were multiple assaults," and "It was extremely serious."

Initially, police identified only Mr. Lee among the six perpetrators as a suspect and applied for an arrest warrant, but the prosecution returned the request, asking for supplementary investigation. Subsequently, after additional investigation, police applied once again for arrest warrants for Mr. Lee and another individual on charges of inflicting bodily injury resulting in death.

However, the Namyangju branch of the Uijeongbu District Court dismissed the warrant, stating, "The suspects have stable residences and there is no concern of evidence destruction." The suspects were handed over to the prosecution without being detained.

As the case became public through media reports and controversy arose regarding the adequacy of the investigation, Minister of Justice Jeong Seongho stated on his Facebook page on April 7, "After receiving the case from the police, the prosecution formed a dedicated team and began a supplementary investigation to fully uncover the truth and bring the perpetrators to justice," adding, "The Ministry of Justice will ensure that not a shred of injustice remains for the victim and his bereaved family."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.