South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun, best known for his roles in films such as Parasite and A Hard Day, has died at the age of 48.
Lee is said to have been found dead in a car located in the Jongno District of Seoul, South Korea earlier today (December 27), according to a report by The Korea Herald, which cited the police.
The Korea Times reports that the actor was found in an “apparent suicide” at around 10:30am local time with a “charcoal briquette” in the passenger seat. Lee had also reportedly written “memo akin to a suicide note” prior to being found.
According a fire official, per Yonhap News Agency, Lee Sun-kyun was not taken to a hospital as he was “pronounced dead” at the scene.
The actor had been under investigation by the South Korean police on suspicion of drug use since late-October 2023. Lee was most recently spotted returning home on Christmas Eve (December 24), following a 19-hour police questioning over his alleged drug use.
At the time, Lee said, per Yonhap News Agency: “I’ve finished the questioning by the police about the blackmail case. I hope the police wisely determine which statements are more reliable between mine and the blackmailers.”
Lee Sun-kyun started his acting career in 2001 with stage roles in plays and musicals, before breaking into mainstream popularity with roles in the 2007 K-dramas White Tower and Coffee Prince.
In the following years, the actor would transition to film, with roles in several projects by Hong Sang-soo. These included 2008’s Night and Day, Oki’s Movie in 2010 and 2013’s Nobody’s Daughter Haewon.
In 2014, Lee would go on to star in the critically acclaimed feature film A Hard Day, before returning to television in 2016’s Listen to Love. He also led the 2021 Apple TV+ original series Dr. Brain.
The actor is perhaps best known for his role in Bong Joon-ho’s Academy Award winning 2019 film, Parasite, for which he won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.
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