Lee Sun-kyun, best known for his role as Park Dong-ik in the Oscar-winning South Korean movie Parasite, was found dead Wednesday, December 27. He was 48. The actor was reportedly found unconscious inside his car at a park in central Seoul, with the police seeing the cause as an apparent suicide. The incident happened while Lee was in the middle of a drug investigation.
Police Found a Lifeless Lee Sun-kyun
According to The Korea Times, at around 10:30 a.m., an unconscious man was found in a car park in Seoul. The police later identified him as Lee Sun-kyun. They also saw a charcoal briquette in the passenger seat.
Before he was found, law enforcement had been looking for Lee after his family revealed that he left a letter akin to a suicide note, while his car was also nowhere to be found.
“As he was pronounced dead, he wasn’t taken to hospital,” a fire official said.
The family has yet to issue an official statement as of this writing.
Lee won the Screen Actors Guild award for “Cast in a Motion Picture” for his role in Parasite in 2021. He was also nominated for Best Actor at the International Emmy Awards for his part in the sci-fi thriller Dr. Brain in 2022.
Before his Parasite fame, Lee had already made a big name in the South Korean entertainment industry for his performances in a number of K-drama series, like Coffee Prince. He gained widespread popularity in the medical drama Behind the White Tower, Pasta, and My Mister.
Lee Sun-kyun’s Drug Investigation
Before his death, Lee Sun-kyun was in the middle of an investigation for alleged use of marijuana, resulting in losing a number of projects, per CBS News. He had gone through three rounds of police questioning that also included the use of other illegal drugs at the house of a hostess working at a high-end bar in Seoul’s Gangnam district several times since earlier this year—even last Saturday.
Lee claimed the hostess tricked him into taking the drugs, and he had no idea what he was using. Anyhow, he tested negative in both the brief reagent test that the police conducted during the investigation and the lab-based drug test by the National Forensic Service last month.
Actor Lee Sun-kyun of the Oscar-winning film “Parasite” has died. pic.twitter.com/j2jjbZERfI
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) December 27, 2023
Lee then submitted a polygraph test request to the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency charged with the investigation to claim his innocence.
South Korea has been known for its strict laws when it comes to taking drugs. Even Koreans who take drugs legally in another country can still face prosecution when they return home. A first-time conviction on drug use charges in South Korea can already lead to six months in jail, while repeat offenders can face up to 14 years.
Suicide has been a sensitive topic and a public concern, especially in South Korea. With a number of people, celebrities and not, taking their own lives, many hope this practice may finally be put to an end. The Spiel Times family extends our condolences to Lee Sun-kyun’s family, friends, and loved ones.
