'The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion' art director Kim Chang Min's cause of death revealed as assault-induced brain hemorrhage

On March 31, the cause of death of the late film director Kim Chang Min has been confirmed as a brain hemorrhage resulting from an assault, with new details emerging about the circumstances surrounding the incident. His bereaved family has also raised concerns over delays and shortcomings in the police investigation.

According to the family and authorities, Kim collapsed into a brain-dead state after being assaulted last year. It was revealed belatedly that the director, who went on to donate his organs and give new life to four people, had suffered severe injuries from the attack.

On October 20 last year at around 1:10 AM, Kim visited a 24-hour restaurant in Guri, Gyeonggi Province, with his son. A dispute broke out with customers at another table, during which he was struck with a fist and collapsed.

Although he was transported to a nearby hospital, there was a significant delay of about an hour in the transfer process. He was later declared brain-dead approximately two weeks after the incident.

After being diagnosed as brain-dead, Kim donated his organs on November 7, giving new life to four people, before passing away at Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital in Seoul.

Police initially identified one suspect, a man in his 20s referred to as 'A,' and applied for an arrest warrant, but prosecutors rejected the request, citing the need for further investigation. Following a supplementary probe requested by both the prosecution and the bereaved family, police sought arrest warrants again for two suspects, including 'A,' on charges of fatal bodily injury.

However, the Uijeongbu District Court’s Namyangju branch dismissed the warrants, stating that the suspects had stable residences and there was little risk of evidence destruction. Police only forwarded the case to prosecutors last week without detention.

The bereaved family has criticized the initial response and investigative process, pointing to issues such as the early identification of only one suspect and the failure to secure the critical “golden hour” during emergency transport.

Meanwhile, Director Kim Chang Min worked as part of the art department on films such as 'Man of Will' (2017), 'The Drug King' (2018), 'The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion' (2018), 'Waiting for Rain' (2021), and 'The Firefighters' (2024).

He also directed 'Someone’s Daughter' (2016) and 'Exit 3 of Guui Station' (2019). His latest work, 'Reply,' had been scheduled to meet audiences this year at festivals including the Jeonju International Short Film Festival and the Seoul Hangang International Film Festival, but will now be released posthumously.