Current:Home > Finance"Parasite" actor Lee Sun-kyun found dead in South Korea, officials say -RiskRadar
"Parasite" actor Lee Sun-kyun found dead in South Korea, officials say
View
Date:2025-04-16 19:43:35
Lee Sun-kyun, a popular South Korean actor best known for his role in the Oscar-winning movie "Parasite," was found dead in a car in Seoul on Wednesday, authorities said, after weeks of an intense police investigation into his alleged drug use. The car was in a park, the Reuters news agency reported.
Police and emergency officers initially found Lee in what they believed was an unconscious state in the car. Emergency officers later confirmed he was dead, according to Seoul's Seongbuk police station.
Police had been searching for Lee, 48, after receiving a report that he was missing, Seongbuk police said.
They refused to provide further details including whether they had determined Lee killed himself. But South Korean media outlets including the Yonhap news agency said Lee's family earlier Wednesday reported to police that he left home after writing a message similar to a suicide note.
The talent agency that represented Lee, HODU&U Entertainment, didn't respond to calls from Reuters but Reuters says domestic media were pointing to an HODU&U statement expressing sadness over his death and urging restraint regarding false information, speculation, or malicious reports.
Lee's body was later transported to a nearby Seoul hospital, according to Seongbuk police.
Lee had undergone police probes into allegations that he used illegal drugs at the residence of a bar hostess. The investigation prompted extensive tabloid coverage. Lee insisted he was tricked into taking the drugs and that he did not know what he was taking, according to Yonhap.
Reuters says he was questioned by police three times about the drug accusations, with one session running 19 hours over the weekend.
The scandal led to the loss of a number of acting projects, Agence France-Presse reported. According to Reuters, a first-time conviction on drug use charges in South Korea can lead to six months in jail and up to 14 years for repeat offenders. South Korea's laws are so stringent that Koreans who take drugs legally while abroad can still face prosecution upon returning home, according to AFP.
Lee appeared in "Parasite," which won Oscars for best picture and three other categories in 2020. The class satire was the first non-English-language film to win best picture in the then-92-year history of the Academy Awards, and was the first South Korean movie ever to win an Oscar. In the film, Lee played the head of a wealthy family.
In 2021, he won a Screen Actors Guild award for "cast in a motion picture" for his role in the same film. He was nominated for best actor at the International Emmy Awards for his performance in the sci-fi thriller "Dr. Brain" last year, as well.
Even before "Parasite," Lee had been a popular actor in South Korea for a long time. He rose to stardom for his role in a hit TV drama series, "Coffee Prince," in 2007, and gained mainstream popularity with the medical drama "Behind The White Tower." "Pasta" and "My Mister."
- In:
- Movies
- Seoul
- Entertainment
veryGood! (3)
Related
- Rolling Loud 2024: Lineup, how to stream the world's largest hip hop music festival
- Falling tree kills a Georgia man who was driving during a violent thunderstorm
- Stock market today: Global shares mostly rise as markets brace for US inflation report
- Trump says he won’t sign Republican loyalty pledge, flouting debate requirement
- A White House order claims to end 'censorship.' What does that mean?
- Below Deck Down Under's Captain Jason Speaks Out on Sexual Misconduct After 2 Shocking Firings
- 3-month-old baby dies after being left alone in car in Houston
- Ariana Grande’s Boyfriend Ethan Slater Lands New Broadway Role After SpongeBob Show
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- Michigan mom is charged with buying guns for son who threatened top Democrats, prosecutors say
Ranking
- Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
- Dua Lipa will face lawsuit from two songwriters who claim she copied Levitating
- After McDonald's Grimace success, are new restaurants next? What we know about 'CosMc'
- 2 Live Crew fought the law with their album, As Nasty As They Wanna Be
- Paige Bueckers vs. Hannah Hidalgo highlights women's basketball games to watch
- NHL preseason schedule released: Kings, Coyotes to play two games in Melbourne, Australia
- Meghan Markle Is Officially in Her Taylor Swift Era After Attending L.A. Concert
- Son of Spanish film stars accused of killing and dismembering surgeon in Thailand: He admitted it
Recommendation
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow owns a $3 million Batmobile Tumbler
Harvest of horseshoe crabs, needed for blue blood, stopped during spawning season in national refuge
A poet pieces together an uncertain past in 'Memoir of a Kidnapping'
Special counsel Jack Smith got a secret search warrant for Trump's Twitter account
Man can't find second winning lottery ticket, sues over $394 million jackpot, lawsuit says
Vehicle strikes 3, fatally injuring 1 in service area of Los Angeles car dealership, official says
Archdiocese of Philadelphia settles child sex abuse case against a deceased priest for $3.5 million
You're never too young to save for retirement. Why a custodial Roth IRA may make sense.