Free Chol Soo Lee

Overview

On June 3, 1973, a man was murdered in a busy intersection of San Francisco’s Chinatown as part of an ongoing gang war. Chol Soo Lee, a 20-year-old Korean immigrant who had previous run-ins with the law, was arrested and convicted based on flimsy evidence and the eyewitness accounts of white tourists who couldn’t distinguish between Asian features. Sentenced to life in prison, Chol Soo Lee would spend years fighting to survive behind bars before journalist K.W. Lee took an interest in his case. The intrepid reporter’s investigation would galvanize a first-of-its-kind pan-Asian American grassroots movement to fight for Chol Soo Lee’s freedom, ultimately inspiring a new generation of social justice activists.

Directed by Julie Ha, Eugene Yi

Top cast

C

Chol Soo Lee

Self (archive footage)

S

Sebastian Yoon

Narrator (voice)

R

Ranko Yamada

Self - Friend; Defense Committee

K

K.W. Lee

Self - Investigative Reporter

Jeff Adachi

Self - Activist

D

David Kakishiba

Self - Activist

J

Jay Kun Yoo

Self - Chair, Defense Committee

G

Grace Kim

Self - Vice-chair, Defense Committee

W

Warren Furutani

Self - L.A. Defense Committee

Leonard Weinglass

Self - Defense Attorney (archive footage)

J

Josiah “Tink” Thompson

Self - Private Investigator

G

Gail Whang

Self - Bay Area Defense Committee

J

Jai Lee Wong

Self - L.A. Defense Committee

M

Mike Suzuki

Self - Bay Area Defense Committee

M

Me Yea Lee

Self - Mother of Chol Soo Lee (archive footage)

L

Leonard Tauman

Self - Defense Attorney (archive footage)

T

Tony Serra

Self - Defense Attorney

S

Stuart Hanlon

Self - Defense Attorney (archive footage)

F

Frank Falzon

Self - San Francisco Police Dept. (archive footage)

S

Sandra Gin

Self - Reporter (archive footage)

Details