
By Stephanie Ornelas
When Korean journalist K.W. Lee first wrote to Chol Soo Lee, who was on death row at a California prison, he had just one thing to say: I want to talk to you about the problems you are having in America. His story would soon spur a movement within the Korean community that would last for years to come.
What happens when a group of people decide enough is enough?
The documentary Free Chol Soo Lee follows a 20-year-old Korean immigrant who was wrongfully-convicted and sentenced to death based on flimsy evidence and inaccurate eyewitness accounts. The film follows the intense issues that arise when it comes to racial profiling and how the Korean community rallied together to bring one man justice.
The documentary examines the tragic incidents that came before and after Lee's conviction and the way his story inspired hundreds of thousands of people to stand up for their culture. It provides an interesting perspective when it comes to racial issues, especially in the Asian and AAPI community.
Drawing from a rich archive and firsthand accounts of those who came to Lee's defense, the documentary cleverly explores this miscarriage of justice. But it also reveals what can happen when one person is thrust into the spotlight as a symbol of a movement, as well as the costs - and fatal exhaustion - that come along with it. It ultimately is a film about seeking redemption, but not quite finding it.
During the Q&A following the screening, directors Julie Ha and Eugene Yi, and producers Su Kim and Jean Tsien, truly displayed their passion for this project.
A big reason why I got involved is because I felt the story was really buried and I didn't think that was something that we could allow to happen, says producer Su Kim.
A number of the creators agreed that it was the fact that they were unfamiliar with the story that drew them to the project.
Sebastian Yoon on the other hand, who narrated the voice of Lee throughout the documentary, became familiar with the case when he was writing a paper on Korean American identity in college. Yoon, formerly incarcerated for over a decade, has spent the last few years traveling the country, giving panel conversations and advocating for improved access to higher education for incarcerated people. That's where he met Su Kim.
She reached out to me with this incredible opportunity and it was very hard to say no, says Yoon.
The story plays a sort of balancing act when it comes to the overall tone of the film, going from tragic to inspiring and everything in between. And the creators agreed that the task was difficult but necessary.
Chol Soo Lee's life was quite tragic in many ways, but we wanted to make sure that we had a chance for him to have agency and tell his story, and to be able to explain why it was so hard for him, says Ha.
Not just because of the injustice, but also because of the scars of his entire life that made it difficult for him to go on, she adds.
And part of telling his story is shining a light on how much Lee was loved and admired, despite those scars. He became a part of something that was bigger than himself, as his story propelled many young activists to make social justice a lifelong pursuit.
I think in many ways the film is a release for all the people connected to the story - the supporters, the activists, says Ha. There was a deep ache that I know they felt [for Lee]. They revelled in the victory of this movement.
And because Lee stumbled so much after his release, and ultimately died seeking redemption, Ha and Yi wanted to give these activists a chance to go through a catharsis themselves and get closure.
The film does a tremendous job of capturing the audience by telling a tragic tale of a man who never really found his place in society. Bringing the documentary full circle with it's emotionally-charged ending, the viewer is left feeling as though they knew Lee on a personal level, just as K.W. Lee did the moment they met for the very first time.
North America Stories
18/06/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...
18/06/2026
PTZOptics has unveiled new Visual Reasoning demonstrations at InfoComm 2026 (Boo...
18/06/2026
IBC2026 will take place at the RAI Amsterdam from September 11-14, bringing toge...
18/06/2026
InfoComm 2026 held its first-ever Media Day on June 17, providing journalists an...
18/06/2026
FOR-A America has announced a Trade Agreements Act (TAA)-compliant LED display solution combining Alfalite's Litepix LED displays and Brompton Technology...
18/06/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level have one major thing in common: the intensity and attention to detail ramps up dur...
18/06/2026
The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) and TMRW Sports have an...
18/06/2026
AJA Video Systems has unveiled Io Xpand, a Thunderbolt 5-enabled PCIe expansion ...
18/06/2026
ESPN has announced its coverage plans for the 30th anniversary of the WNBA's...
18/06/2026
FOX Sports' Big Noon Kickoff will broadcast live from Wembley Stadium in Lon...
18/06/2026
InfoComm 2026 opened on Wednesday at the Las Vegas Convention Center, bringing t...
18/06/2026
As media companies look to deliver more live, VOD, and snackable sports content ...
18/06/2026
Top L-R: Take Me Home, The Lake
Bottom L-R: TheyDream, Union County
Free Summer Screening Series Announced
Screenings for the Local Utah Community at...
18/06/2026
The average daily TV screen time in May was 3 hours and 36 minutes, marking a clear decrease of 15 minutes compared to April. This trend proved to be much stron...
18/06/2026
Integration embeds Gracenote content intelligence, including contextual segments...
18/06/2026
AJA Video Systems unveiled Io Xpand, a high-performance Thunderbolt 5-enabled PCIe expansion chassis for AJA KONA and Corvid video and audio I/O cards. As dema...
18/06/2026
New NVRT-driven workflow enables on-demand traffic mirroring and guided troubleshooting for AV teams, integrators, and support organizations ahead of InfoComm 2...
18/06/2026
At InfoComm 2026, Mavis announced a major update to Mavis Studio, its live production app for the iPad, with new features designed to make professional AV produ...
18/06/2026
Transaction Positions Harmonic as a Pure-Play Broadband Company
Harmonic Inc. (NASDAQ: HLIT), the worldwide leader in virtualized broadband solutions, today a...
18/06/2026
ACT Entertainment and NETGEAR have announced a strategic partnership that establishes verified interoperability between NETGEAR Switches and key technologies fr...
18/06/2026
IBC2026 is set to bring the global media, entertainment and technology community together at the RAI Amsterdam from 11 14 September, enabling industry players f...
18/06/2026
Pliant Technologies is proud to introduce CrewCom Flex , the world's first frameless matrix intercom system and the only complete matrix IP-based intercom s...
18/06/2026
The XR Sports Alliance (XRSA) has announced that a new cohort of members has joined the strategic initiative: ActionStreamer, Antigravity, Creative Artists Agen...
18/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/06/2026
Linda May Han Oh Receives Guggenheim Fellowship The Berklee professor, bassist, and composer will use the fellowship to debut Dreams of Knowing, an interdisci...
18/06/2026
Play favorite titles from popular game libraries, keep progress synced and jump ...
18/06/2026
The digital era gave the advertising and marketing industry speed; the AI era is giving it autonomous operations.
For companies building next-generation techn...
17/06/2026
EVS has announced it has received the EcoVadis Gold Medal for sustainability performance, ranking among the top 5% of companies globally in the Technology/Mid-S...
17/06/2026
Chyron has released Weather 2.4, an update to its weather suite for broadcasters and meteorologists. The release focuses on enhancements to the DataFlow module,...
17/06/2026
VSiN, The Sports Betting Network, has announced the launch of Best Bets TV, a free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel. The 24/7 channel is currently avail...
17/06/2026
DAZN's Team Whistle and Snap Inc. have announced a creator program centered ...
17/06/2026
LiveU is providing video transmission technology for broadcasters, production companies, and public safety agencies across North America's busy Summer of So...
17/06/2026
The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) has announced that Laurens Grant and Jacob Ullman have joined its Board of Directors. Chief of Staf...
17/06/2026
Akta, the AI-First SaaS video platform for modern broadcast and streaming operations, today announced that its video platform is now generally available on Orac...
17/06/2026
This recent graduate from Houston found inspiration in technical directing and now eyes a future career in sports production...
17/06/2026
Audio-Technica (booth C7959) arrives at InfoComm 2026 in Las Vegas with a slate ...
17/06/2026
SNS has published a guide addressing growing demand for AI-powered video indexing, transcription, facial recognition, and searchable metadata across media libra...
17/06/2026
Providius has announced Providius Direct, a workflow for investigating network i...
17/06/2026
NEP Group has announced the commercial availability of NEP Platform, a software ...
17/06/2026
A new white paper examining Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) and Reliable Interne...
17/06/2026
New research from subscription bundling platform Bango finds that younger sports fans are increasingly consuming sport through highlights, clips, and social med...
17/06/2026
SMPTE has announced that its complete Standards catalog is now freely available to the global media technology community, including all published SMPTE Standard...
17/06/2026
Harmonic has completed the sale of its Video Business to MediaKind for $145 mill...
17/06/2026
Omaha Productions will produce the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vega...
17/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...