Actor Lee Sun-Kyun from “Parasite” found dead; suicide suspected

Seoul: Yonhap news agency said that actor Lee Sun-kyun, a South Korean most known for his part in the Oscar-winning movie “Parasite,” was discovered dead on Wednesday from what seemed to be a suicide.

Yonhap said that police had found the actor inside a car in a key Seoul park.

Police had been looking into Lee, 48, for possible marijuana and other psychotropic substance usage.

Following the controversy, local news sites stated that the actor was being eliminated from television and commercial productions, despite formerly being praised for his clean image.

After graduating from the esteemed Korean National University of Arts in South Korea, Lee made his screen debut in the comedy “Lovers” in 2001.

Later on, he received praise for his portrayals of a range of characters, such as a charming chef and a dedicated architectural engineer who finds out his wife is unfaithful.

His role as the affluent and superficial father in Bong Joon-ho’s 2019 Oscar-winning film “Parasite” has garnered him the most recognition outside.

His last movie, the horror picture “Sleep” this year, in which he portrayed a spouse whose sleepwalking ultimately leads to terrifying situations, was well-received by critics and shown during Cannes’ Critics’ Week.

In late October, he gave a quick interview to the media before going inside an Incheon police station to speak with detectives.

“I sincerely apologize for causing great disappointment to many people by being involved in such an unpleasant incident,” he said at the time.

“I’m sorry for my family; they’re going through such trying times right now.

“Once again, I sincerely apologize to everyone.”

South Korea has very strict rules regarding illicit substances;, even Koreans who legitimately use drugs overseas, such as marijuana, run the possibility of being prosecuted when they return home.

President Yoon Suk Yeol said this year that the nation was no longer “drug-free” and demanded harsher efforts to eradicate drug dealers.

His two boys and his wife, the actress Jeon Hye-jin, survive him.