Kim Jong Hak, the influential director of the time-travel romantic drama "Faith The Great Doctor," starring Lee Min Ho and Kim Hee Sun, has been found dead in a motel.
The police are still investigating the circumstances of the director's death and gathering evidence. So far they have come to no conclusion.
"We have confirmed that the deceased is indeed director Kim Jong Hak, but we can't state the actual cause of death yet as investigations are still ongoing," said the police.
So far, there has been no indication that the director's death was the result of a homicide and as the investigation continues, more evidence points to the possibility of his committing suicide. It has been reported that a suicide note was found. In the note Kim Jong Hak apologizes to his family.
His production company had no comment on his death. The director no longer worked at the company he founded. Representatives at Kim Jong Hak Productions, which now produces the hit drama "I Hear Your Voice," said that he stepped down as CEO a long time ago and they have not seen him since.
The director may have been apologizing for the embarrassing situation he found himself in this month. Kim, who was called "one of the most acclaimed and influential TV directors in Korea for more than 30 years" in 2009 by Variety Magazine, was facing embezzlement, fraud and breach of trust charges. The director of "Eyes of Dawn, "Sandglass, and "The Legend" was sued by the cast of the 2012 SBS drama "Faith" for not paying them.
"Director Kim Jong Hak has been faced with a lawsuit for not paying the cast members, along with embezzlement," said a Yeongdeungpo Police official.
Earlier in the year, another lawsuit was filed against him for signing duplicate contracts for the show's soundtrack. As a result of these pending lawsuits, on July 9, he was restricted from leaving the country.
Many of the actors and actresses with whom he worked over the years have sent their condolences. Among them are actress Go Hyun Jung, who worked with him in the 1995 hit "Sandglass." She took time out from filming her current drama, "The Queen's Classroom," to attend his wake.
Lee Min Ho heard about the director's death while filming a commercial but sources close to the actor say he was too shocked and upset to make a statement.
