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‘Parasite’ Actor Lee Sun-kyun Found Dead at Age 48

He was found inside a vehicle parked in a park in Seoul

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The Hollywood industry has been hit with a somber announcement. Lee Sun-kyun, renowned for his role in the award-winning film Parasite, which won the Oscar for Best Picture and Best Foreign Language Film in 2020, has been discovered dead in Seoul at the age of 48. 

As reported by South Korean news agency Yonhap, Lee Sun-kyun was found around 10:00 AM (local time) on Wednesday inside a vehicle parked in a Seoul park. Authorities had initiated a search after receiving a distress call from the actor’s family and manager, who had come across a suicide note at his residence, as stated by Seongbuk police. 

Authorities also discovered a bag of charcoal briquettes on the seat adjacent to Lee Sun-kyun’s body, which can be lethal due to its carbon monoxide content. However, it has not been confirmed at this time whether it was indeed a suicide. 

Jeff Kravitz / Getty Images.

A Suspect in a Drug Case 

Lee Sun-kyun had been under investigation by South Korean police in connection with a drug consumption case involving G-Dragon from the K-pop group BIGBANG, with him being one of the suspects. Over the past weekend, the actor underwent a 19-hour interrogation at a police station. 

“I hope the police can judiciously discern which statements are more credible, between mine and those made by the blackmailers,” Sun-kyun remarked upon exiting the police station. 

Investigations suggest that Lee had consumed marijuana and other illegal substances at the residence of a woman employed at a hostess club in an upscale bar in Seoul’s Gangnam district. Nevertheless, the actor’s defense has consistently maintained that he was being subjected to blackmail by the witness and that the young woman had deceived him into consuming these substances. 

In addition to the Oscar for Best Picture for Parasite, where he portrayed the head of the affluent family, Lee Sun-kyun also secured a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) award in 2021. Last year, he received a nomination for Best Actor at the International Emmy Awards for his role in the series Dr. Brain.