South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun, who played a major role in the 2020 Oscar best picture winner “Parasite,” passed away Wednesday morning at the age of 48. His death was confirmed by the Associated Press and the South Korean news agency Yonhap.
Authorities discovered Lee’s body in a car in a central Seoul park. His family had reported that he left a suicide note before leaving home early on Wednesday.
Lee had been under investigation for suspected illegal drug use. The Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency in South Korea had undertaken an investigation into Lee and seven others for alleged drug use. Lee claimed he was the victim of blackmail and had lost a significant amount of money to extortion. Recently, he had been called in for questioning by the police, who suspected him of using illegal substances at the home of a hostess in a high-end bar in Seoul. He maintained that he had been deceived and was unaware of the nature of the drugs he consumed.
In 2020, “Parasite” secured four Academy Awards, including best picture, director for Bong Joon-ho, original screenplay, and international feature film for South Korea. It also won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, making it the first South Korean film to achieve this recognition. The “Parasite” cast, led by Lee Sun-kyun, won a Screen Actors Guild award for outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture.
Lee portrayed the character Park Dong-ik in the film, the father of the wealthy Park family who unwittingly hires members of the scamming, lower-class Kim family into his home. The film took a dramatic turn at his daughter’s birthday party, where Mr. Park met an unforeseen fate.
Following his breakthrough role in “Parasite,” Lee starred in the Apple TV+ series “Dr. Brain,” the first South Korean series on the platform, and was nominated for best actor at the 2022 International Emmy Awards. His career included several South Korean projects such as “Payback,” “Diary of a Prosecutor,” “My Mister,” and more throughout the 2000s and 2010s.
Lee was a prominent figure in Korean cinema. This year, he appeared in films like “Project Silence” and “Sleep” at Cannes. “Sleep” became the highest-grossing film in South Korea for three weeks after its commercial release in September.
Lee is survived by his wife, actor Jeon Hye-jin, and their two children.
