"My son hit him"... Controversy erupts over records found in the 119 ambulance log in the death of film director Kim Chang-min

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[The Financial News] In connection with the fatal assault case involving the late film director Kim Chang-min, controversy is growing after it emerged that the 119 emergency response log at the time contained details that differed from the actual situation, including a note that "the son assaulted his father."
According to JoongAng Ilbo on the 22nd, the ambulance activity log from Oct. 20 last year at Gyomun 119 Safety Center under Guri Fire Station included the note, "(According to the police) During an argument with his son, the son punched him in the face."
It also specifically recorded the victim's condition at the time, saying, "Swelling and bruising around both eyes, bleeding from the left ear, repeated vomiting in the ambulance, followed by decreased consciousness and response to pain."
The log also said departure from the scene was delayed because the hospital requested that a guardian be secured before transport.
Kim Chang-min's son, Kim, 21, who was at the scene, has a severe developmental disability. He was in a state of extreme confusion and had difficulty communicating, so he was placed under police protection and ultimately did not ride in the ambulance, it was reported.
Meanwhile, similar details were also found in the emergency room record. It stated, "According to the guardian (son)'s statement relayed by the 119 paramedic, the patient and guardian were drinking and got into an argument, and the guardian struck the patient's face once." The record did not include any mention of assault by the group that attacked him.
An ambulance activity log is written by the responding paramedic, and in criminal cases it is generally recorded in reported form based on information relayed by police at the scene. Critics say that if incorrect information is passed along in this process, it can affect the entire record.
As a result, the assailants' violence, which was central to the case, was omitted from the initial records, and responsibility was shifted to the disabled son. Some have also raised the possibility that false statements from the assailants' side may have been passed on unchanged through the police.
In response, the fire authorities said, "We simply recorded what we heard from the police at the scene." Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency, which is conducting an inspection of the police officer who responded at the time, said, "It is an ongoing matter, so we cannot confirm anything."
The incident took place in the early hours of Oct. 20 last year at a restaurant in Guri, Gyeonggi Province. Kim was assaulted after an argument with another customer while dining with his son, who has a developmental disability, and collapsed from a cerebral hemorrhage. He died on Nov. 7 that year. Through organ donation, he gave new life to four people before his death.
moon@fnnews.com Moon Young-jin Reporter