Celebrated South Korean director Kim Ki-duk succumbed to
COVID-19 in Latvia, a top film official from the country has confirmed, AFP
reported on Friday.

“Unfortunately, the sad news about Kim Ki-duk’s death
from coronavirus in Latvia is true,” Dita Rietuma, head of the National
Film Centre of Latvia, told AFP.

“It is known from his contact persons that he died in a
hospital in Riga around 1:30 a.m. earlier today,” she added.

Local reports said that the filmmaker was not in the country
for a project, but on a personal visit.

They said he was planning to buy a property in Riga, the
capital of Latvia, a eurozone nation.

Kim is credited with directing 25 films in his career, beginning
with ‘Crocodile’ in 1996, ending with ‘Dissolve’ in 2019.

He won global fame with his bold portrayal of extreme
violence and human brutality in allegory-rich movies, but was accused of
misconduct against actresses, AFP wrote.

The director had not responded to these allegations.

His movies — many featuring gruesome violence against both
males and females, and rapes of women — divided audiences, with some accusing
him of misogyny and others hailing his cinematography and unflinching portrayal
of a social underclass rarely seen in other films.

Laced with this trademark violence, his film
“Pieta” won the Golden Lion prize at the Venice Film Festival in
2012.