Public anger is growing in South Korea as the suspects accused of fatally assaulting film director Kim Chang Min remain free, five months after the incident.

According to Star News, the case has shocked the nation in recent days. Broadcaster JTBC recently released CCTV footage capturing the entire incident, along with eyewitness testimony, further fueling public outrage.

Amid the controversy, netizens have begun digging into the personal information of the suspects involved in the attack. Images and alleged details of two individuals who were referred to prosecutors without detention on charges of assault resulting in death are now circulating widely on social media in South Korea.

What has angered the public the most is that despite the assault taking place five months ago, the suspects have not been detained. Local media report that police previously requested arrest warrants twice, but both were rejected on the grounds that the suspects had fixed residences and posed no risk of destroying evidence.

Adding to the controversy, one of the suspects is reportedly said to have released a new hip-hop track on YouTube early last month. The lyrics allegedly include provocative lines such as “The pure person I used to be is gone” and “I’ve become a thug now.” However, authorities have not officially confirmed or responded to these claims.

The assault on Kim Chang Min occurred in the early hours of October 2025 in Guri, Gyeonggi Province. The director had taken his son to a 24-hour restaurant after the child wanted to eat tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet).

A dispute reportedly broke out between Kim Chang Min and a group of young men over noise, escalating into violence. In a JTBC news segment, an eyewitness described how the director was attacked by a group of six men in their 20s. “One tall man in black grabbed him from behind in a chokehold, causing him to lose consciousness inside the restaurant. Even after being dragged outside, he raised his hands asking them to stop, but another man in a checkered shirt punched him, and the assault continued,” the witness said.

The witness added, “There was an alley nearby without cameras. The man in black dragged Director Kim there, and the man in the checkered shirt followed and continued beating him. When the restaurant manager tried to call the police, they even snatched the phone away.”

Sources: Nate