South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun, who won an Oscar for his performance in the comedy-thriller film Parasite, was reportedly discovered dead in his vehicle on Wednesday, December 27, in Seoul after a lengthy police probe into allegations of his drug use.
In a report by The Associated Press, Lee was initially discovered in a parked automobile on a street in northern Seoul by police and emergency personnel who thought he was only unconscious. The Seongbuk police station said that medical personnel subsequently verified his death.
After getting an alert that the 48-year-old actor was missing, the police began hunting for him. They were tight-lipped about whether or not they had concluded Lee had committed suicide.
South Korean media reported that Lee's family informed the police early Wednesday that he had left a letter that seemed to be a suicide note before he left the house.
Sun-kyun Lee attends the 50th International Emmy Awards at New York Hilton Midtown on November 21, 2022, in New York City.
Career as Actor
In 2020, Lee was a part of the cast of Parasite, a film that took home four Oscars, including best picture. The satire made history as the first South Korean film to win an Oscar and the first non-English-language movie to win best picture in the Academy Awards' 92-year history. The film featured Lee as the father of a privileged household.
The whole cast, including Lee, also took home an award in 2020 from the Screen Actors Guild for their work in the film's ensemble performance.
Last year, for his role in the science-fiction thriller Dr. Brain, he received a nomination for Outstanding Actor at the International Emmy Awards.
For several years prior to Parasite, Lee had considerable success as an actor in South Korea. His breakout performance was in the 2007 TV drama Coffee Prince, and subsequent hits like Behind The White Tower, Pasta, and My Mister catapulted him into the public.
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Alleged Drug Use
Accusations that Lee took illegal drugs at the home of a bar hostess placed him under police investigation.
As reported by Yonhap, Lee maintained that he was deceived into taking the drugs and had no knowledge of their contents. However, the inquiry led to widespread tabloid coverage and unproven online speculation over his personal life and his suspected drug use. Lee accused the hostess and another person of blackmail and sued them.
In late October, he apologized to his family and fans and bowed deeply many times upon being called for interrogation at a police station in Incheon, a city near Seoul.
Police in Incheon said on Wednesday that they would be discontinuing their investigation into Lee's alleged drug usage claims but would maintain their probe against the two individuals that Lee had sued.
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