South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun, famous for his role in the film “Parasite”, which won the Oscar for best film in 2020, was found dead, the South Korean Yonhap news agency reported today.
The 48-year-old actor was found inside a vehicle in a park in central Seoul, with a lit charcoal briquette next to him, Yonhap said, citing police.
The actor’s death was also confirmed by South Korean emergency medical services, after police had previously indicated that Lee had been found unconscious, without specifying the location.
Lee Sun-kyun was being investigated by police on suspicion of using cannabis and other psychotropic drugs.
The scandal tarnished the image of the successful actor in the country, depriving him of television jobs and advertising contracts, according to several South Korean media.
South Korean media, including Yonhap, added that police were searching for Lee after the family reported that the actor had left home and left a message similar to a suicide note.
Best known internationally for the film “Parasite,” in which he plays the head of a wealthy family, Lee won, in 2021, a Screen Actors Guild award for “cast of a motion picture.”
He was nominated for best actor at the International Emmy Awards for his performance in the sci-fi thriller “Dr. Brain” last year.
A familiar figure on South Korean screens for decades before finding fame overseas with “Parasite,” Lee starred in popular series such as “Coffee Prince (2007),” “Behind The White Tower,” “Pasta (2010)” and My Mister (2018)”.
Source: TSF
