Award-winning South Korean director Kim Ki-duk dead at 59 from Covid-19

News reports from Russia said the director died in the hospital from complications associated with Covid-19. Photo: AFP

South Korean movie director Kim Ki-duk died of complications from Covid-19 in Latvia on Friday.

News reports from Russia said the director died in the hospital from complications associated with Covid-19.

Kim’s family confirmed to multiple Korean media that the news was correct and that they had received a call on the day.

According to the sources, Kim arrived in Latvia in the middle of last month. He reportedly lived there with the help of film industry figures in Latvia.

He was recently hospitalised due to symptoms of coronavirus, but treatment was unsuccessful.

Debuting in 1996 with the work Crocodile, Kim is the only South Korean director to win at all three major European film festivals: Cannes, Venice and Berlin.

But the award-winning director has shunned public appearances in Korea since he was accused of sexually assaulting actresses while filming in 2017.

A police case into the main accusation was dropped the following year. Kim tried to sue his accusers for damages, but was unsuccessful. - The Korea Herald/Asia News Network