Man accused in director Kim Chang-min’s death apologizes on YouTube

A man accused of fatally assaulting late director Kim Chang-min issued a public apology through YouTube, as scrutiny grows over the police’s initial handling of the case.

A video titled “I Am the Killer of Director Kim Chang-min” was uploaded Thursday. In it, a man, who admitted to assaulting Kim, said he wanted to apologize to the deceased director and his bereaved family.

“I am deeply sorry to director Kim, who has passed away, and to his family,” he said. “I know the pain of losing a son, and I have nothing else to say except that I am sorry.”

The perpetrator has also drawn criticism after releasing a music track titled “Thug” following the incident. He said the song had been prepared last year, before the assault, and described it as a hip-hop-style expression of a story about his first love.

He addressed his stage name “Beomin,” saying he chose it because he had been told he was compatible with the tiger zodiac sign and had a tiger tattoo on his back. Beomin — derived from the Chinese characters meaning "tiger" and "person" — can also mean criminal in Korean.

Kim was assaulted on Oct. 20 after visiting a restaurant in Guri, Gyeonggi Province, with his son, who has autism spectrum disorder. An altercation reportedly broke out with diners at another table over noise and other issues.

Kim was severely beaten by members of the other party and taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced brain-dead. After donating organs to four people, he died on Nov. 7. The cause of death was cerebral hemorrhage.

Police initially identified only one male suspect among a group of six people in their 20s and 30s and sought an arrest warrant, but prosecutors rejected the request and called for further investigation.

Police later identified two men as suspects and again requested arrest warrants. The court, however, dismissed the request, saying the suspects had stable residences and there was no risk of evidence destruction.

The case recently drew renewed public attention after questions were raised over shortcomings in the initial police investigation.

The Namyangju branch of the Uijeongbu District Prosecutors’ Office, which took over the case from the police, has since formed a dedicated task force of three prosecutors and five investigators.