According to Yonhap news agency, Lee Sun-kyun, a South Korean actor known for his role in the Oscar-winning film “Parasite”, was discovered dead on Wednesday, as reported by the police.
Lee had been facing allegations of illegal drug use and was under investigation during a period of increased government efforts to crack down on drug-related issues.
It was reported by Yonhap that Lee was found unconscious next to briquettes inside a car at a park in Seoul on Wednesday morning. This occurred after his wife contacted the police to report that Lee had left home and she had discovered what appeared to be a suicide note.
South Korea has stringent drug laws, with drug-related offenses typically carrying a minimum sentence of six months in prison, or up to 14 years for repeat offenders and individuals involved in drug dealing.
Lee, who was born in 1975, portrayed the role of a wealthy family’s father in “Parasite” and also had leading roles in various South Korean films such as the 2012 thriller “Helpless” and 2014’s “All About My Wife”.
Additionally, Lee played the lead role in “Dr. Brain”, a six-episode sci-fi thriller that was the first Korean-language original series produced by Apple TV+ and was released in 2021. The show focused on a neurologist named Koh Se-won who attempted to uncover the truth behind a mysterious family tragedy through brain experiments.
(Reporting by Soo-hyang Choi and Josh Smith; Editing by Tom Hogue)
