Oscar-Winning Actor Found Dead In Alleged Suicide
A bizarre case is unfolding across the globe in Seoul, South Korea, where actor Lee Sun-kyun, best known for his work on Bong Joon-ho’s 2019 award darling thriller, Parasite, has been found dead in an apparent suicide. The investigation is ongoing, but Lee’s manager first alerted authorities to check out the missing man’s whereabouts after discovering a suicide note left at his home. The actor’s body would eventually be found in Waryong Park in central Seoul around 10:30 am.
Lee Sun-kyun, the award-winning actor best known for his role in Parasite, has been found dead of an apparent suicide.
It appears that Lee Sun-kyun took his own life while sitting in his vehicle as a charcoal briquette was found on the scene in the front passenger seat. The use of such a tool for committing suicide leads to fatal carbon monoxide poisoning with the victim slowly losing consciousness before passing away. The plot thickens as the actor was on law enforcement’s radar for suspected drug use.
Alleged Drug Use
That part of the story kicked off earlier this year when Lee Sun-kyun and a handful of other suspects were taken in for questioning surrounding their participation in the use of marijuana and other illegal drugs. The use of these drugs was said to have happened at the home of a hostess who worked at a high-end bar in the Gangnam district of Seoul. Lee underwent a multitude of rounds of questioning, with the latest one occurring last Saturday in a session that lasted a whopping 19 hours.
Lee Sun-kyun has stuck by his innocence since he was first taken into custody in late October. The actor said that he was unaware of what he was ingesting and that the party’s hostess had misled him and tricked him into using the drugs.
While most Americans will recognize Lee Sun-kyun from his appearance in the Oscar favorite film, Parasite, the actor had long been a familiar face in South Korean cinema.
He had since lodged a complaint against the hostess and one other person which accused them of blackmail and extortion. The investigation led officers to the party after a tip suggested that drugs were being illegally dealt at the sprawling amount of bars in the Seoul neighborhood.
It’s worth noting that Lee Sun-kyun tested negative for substances in a urine test that was given to him during a round of questioning last month. Both the local police and the National Forensic Service looked at the samples. While this doesn’t necessarily mean that he didn’t take any drugs whatsoever back in October, it certainly proves that the actor hadn’t had any substances since then. He also volunteered to take a polygraph test to further bolster his claims of innocence.
While most Americans will recognize Lee Sun-kyun from his appearance in the Oscar favorite film, Parasite, the actor had long been a familiar face in South Korean cinema. His performance in the thriller would nab him a Screen Actors Guild Award and further cement his place in entertainment.
Lee Sun-kyun tested negative for substances in a urine test that was given to him during a round of questioning last month.
Other performances include the sci-fi flick Dr. Brain, for which he received a nomination for Best Actor at the International Emmy Awards. This year saw the arrival of two more films for Lee Sun-kyun as he appeared in the horror film Sleep and the disaster thriller Project Silence.
Our best wishes and condolences are going out to Lee Sun-kyun’s family at this time.
Source: The Korean Times
