South Korea: The South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun, who starred in Parasite, the Oscar-winning film directed by Bong Joon Ho, and appeared in the Dr. Brain series on Apple TV+, passed away by apparent suicide.
According to Yonhap, a South Korean news agency, Lee was found dead inside a car in a Seoul park. Lee’s wife reportedly found what appeared to be a suicide note and reported the actor’s departure from the house to the police, according to Yonhap.
Lee had been under investigation over allegations that he had used illegal drugs, as per the report. A number of accusations against well-known individuals, including actors, singers, socialites, and the heirs to the wealthiest families in the nation, have surfaced in recent weeks as a result of the government of South Korea’s ongoing crackdown on hard drugs.
Yonhap reported that Lee was questioned by police three times, including for a total of nineteen hours over the weekend, regarding his use of psychoactive drugs and marijuana. Since the beginning of the year, Lee is said to have made several trips to Seoul’s Gangnam district, including last Saturday, when he is said to have taken drugs. The actor allegedly claimed that a bar hostess had tricked him into taking drugs in exchange for a threat of blackmail.
Lee was born in Seoul in 1975 and studied drama at the Korea National University of Arts. The medical drama White Tower (2007) marked the actor’s television breakthrough, and the young drama Coffee Prince (2007) garnered favourable reviews. Alongside the rest of the Parasite cast, Lee also received a Screen Actors Guild Award.