South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun, renowned for his performance in the Oscar-winning film Parasite, has reportedly been discovered dead, according to local media outlets citing information from the police.
The 48-year-old actor is thought to have been discovered unconscious in a car at a park in central Seoul on Wednesday.
Lee Sun-kyun had been under investigation for alleged drug use since October.
Yonhap news agency reports that he was suspected of taking drugs with an employee at a bar in Seoul. He had stated that although he had taken what she had given him, he was unaware that they were illicit drugs.
The hostess had reportedly informed the police that he used drugs at her home multiple times, an accusation he denied. He had previously requested, through his lawyer, to undergo a lie detector test.
The report added that his drug tests had returned negative or inconclusive results.
The investigation garnered significant attention and inflicted substantial damage to Lee’s reputation. As a consequence, he was removed from “No Way Out,” a mystery TV series that had commenced shooting in October.
The actor, who was married to and had two sons with actress Jeon Hye-jin, enjoyed an acting career that spanned more than two decades.
He played the lead role in numerous films and TV shows, becoming a household name throughout the 2010s.
He gained international acclaim for his role as Park Dong-ik in “Parasite,” portraying the father in the wealthy Park family that becomes entangled with members of a poor family posing as unrelated individuals.
Drug offenses, particularly those related to marijuana use, are deemed serious crimes in South Korea. The consumption of marijuana can lead to prison sentences of up to five years.
