Actor Lee Sun-kyun, a South Korean who gained worldwide recognition for his performance in the Academy Award-winning movie “Parasite,” passed away on Wednesday, according to police, who verified the news. He was 48 years old. Lee’s management had reported Lee missing via their hotline, according to a statement released by Seoul police. On Wednesday morning, Lee was discovered in his vehicle.
According to the police, the cause of death is “presumed to be suicide.”
Images from the location on Wednesday show forensic experts examining a car that has been blocked off by police tape. As part of an inquiry into suspected drug usage, Lee has reportedly been questioned three times since October, according to Incheon police. The last time Lee had been called in by the police was on December 23. He was detained for 19 hours and then freed the next day. Without mentioning the number of tests Lee had done, Incheon police stated that all of his drug tests had been negative over the course of the inquiry.
According to authorities, Lee had stated that the same person had blackmailed him after tricking him into using narcotics. The police said Lee filed a lawsuit against the purported blackmailer.
Based on police reports, one male and one woman have been taken into custody in connection with the narcotics probe. He had asked police, via his attorneys, to administer a polygraph test to himself and the two other individuals they had detained on December 26.
Along with expressing their condolences to the actor’s family, the police also mentioned that they had worked to stop media leaks regarding his drug investigation before it was finished. This was done in compliance with South Korean law, which forbids anyone working on a criminal investigation from disclosing information about a suspect before a public indictment is made available.
Prior to filing the complaint, they had acquired information concerning his suspected drug usage.
Yonhap reports said, “Actor Lee Sun-kyun passed away today.” “It is impossible to contain the feelings of sadness and devastation. “The business also asked people to “please refrain from spreading false information based on speculation or assumption.”
When CNN contacted the agency to request a statement, no response was received right away.
Lee won praise for his portrayal of Park Dong-ik, the affluent Park family’s father, in “Parasite.”.
His performances in the television series “Behind the White Tower” (2007), “Pasta” (2010), and the sci-fi thriller series “Dr. Brain” (for which he was nominated for an International Emmy Award) garnered him more recognition.
(CNN, 2023)
