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'Parasite' actor Lee Sun-kyun found dead

Agence France-Presse 

<div><em> Editor&#x27;s note: This article has mentions of suicide</em></div><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="South Korean actor Lee Sun-Kyun poses during the photocall for " at="" the="" annual="" Cannes="" Film="" in="" May="" Guillaumme="" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/entertainment/12/27/lee-sun-kyun-epa-12272023.jpg"/><figcaption>South Korean actor Lee Sun-Kyun poses during the photocall for &#x27;Parasite&#x27; at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, in Cannes, France, May 22, 2019. <em>Guillaumme Horcajuelo, EPA-EFE </em></figcaption></figure></div><p>SEOUL, South Korea<strong> (UPDATE 3) </strong>-- South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun, best known globally for his role in the Oscar-winning film &quot;Parasite&quot;, was found dead in Seoul on Wednesday, police said.</p><p>The 48-year-old actor was found inside a vehicle parked on the street in the capital&#x27;s mid-northern Seongbuk district, an official from the Seongbuk police station told AFP.</p><p>South Korea&#x27;s Yonhap news agency reported, citing police, that Lee had left a &quot;note that reads like a will&quot;.</p><p>He had been under police investigation over his alleged use of marijuana and other drugs.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/10/23/23/parasite-star-lee-sun-kyun-embroiled-in-drug-controversy">&#x27;Parasite&#x27; star Lee Sun-kyun faces drug use allegations: reports</a></li></ul><p>A series of entertainment industry events in South Korea were announced as cancelled on Wednesday in order to pay condolences to the late actor.</p><p>Filmmaker Byun Young-joo, who collaborated with Lee on her 2012 thriller &quot;Helpless&quot;, honoured his memory by sharing a pitch-black image on her Instagram account.</p><p>Actress Claudia Kim, also known as Soo Hyun, wrote on the social media platform that Lee&#x27;s death was &quot;a loss of great talent&quot; for the industry.</p><p>&quot;Everyone deserves to be forgiven for their mistakes. Everyone deserves a second chance,&quot; she wrote.</p><div><strong>- &#x27;Praiseworthy in &quot;Parasite&quot;&#x27;-</strong></div><p>Once celebrated for his wholesome image, local news outlets reported that the actor was being dropped from television and commercial projects following the scandal.</p><p>A graduate of South Korea&#x27;s prestigious Korea National University of Arts, Lee made his acting debut in 2001 in a television sitcom titled &quot;Lovers&quot;.</p><p>He later won acclaim for his performances in a variety of roles, including a charismatic chef and a genius neuroscientist who is incapable of empathy.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2912788" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><p>Lee received widespread critical acclaim for his performance in the 2018 TV drama series &quot;My Mister&quot;, for his portrayal of a diligent architectural engineer.</p><p>Globally, he is best known for his role as the wealthy and shallow patriarch in director Bong Joon-ho&#x27;s 2019 Oscar-winning film &quot;Parasite&quot;.</p><p>He was also recognized for his performances in romance flicks, such as the 2007 TV drama &quot;Coffee Prince&quot; and the 2012 film &quot;All About My Wife&quot;.</p><p>Lee made appearances in South Korea&#x27;s internationally acclaimed filmmaker Hong Sang-soo&#x27;s movies, such as &quot;Our Sunhi&quot; (2013) and &quot;Oki&#x27;s Movie&quot; (2010).</p><p>His latest released film, this year&#x27;s horror flick &quot;Sleep&quot; -- in which he played a husband whose sleepwalking eventually leads to terrifying circumstances -- was well-received and featured in the Critics&#x27; Week section at the Cannes festival.</p><p>Devastated fans expressed their grief on social media, with one user writing on X: &quot;I laughed and cried a lot while watching your acting. Thank you.&quot;</p><p>Renowned Korean-American writer Min Jin Lee also expressed her condolences.</p><p>&quot;Lee was praiseworthy in &#x27;Parasite&#x27; and exceptional in &#x27;My Mister,&#x27;&quot; she wrote on Instagram.</p><p>&quot;May he be remembered for his excellent work and creative gifts.&quot;</p><p>[BOLD] - &#x27;Great disappointment&#x27; -</p><p>Lee&#x27;s reputation suffered a significant blow when South Korean authorities launched an investigation into his alleged drug use in October.</p><p>He had been suspected of using illicit drugs at the residence of a hostess employed at a high-end bar in Seoul.</p><p>According to Yonhap, the actor asserted that he was &quot;tricked&quot; by the hostess into consuming the drugs and was unaware of what they were.</p><p>Lee had tested negative for drugs twice, during police investigations and in a lab test last month, the news agency reported.</p><p>He had also lodged a complaint against two individuals, including the hostess, alleging that they had blackmailed him and extorted money from him.</p><p>From December 23 to 24, he attended his third police investigation session, which lasted 19 hours, Yonhap reported.</p><p>He briefly spoke to reporters in late October before entering a police station in Incheon to meet with investigators.</p><p>&quot;I sincerely apologize for causing great disappointment to many people by being involved in such an unpleasant incident,&quot; he said at the time.</p><p>&quot;I feel sorry for my family, which is enduring such difficult pain at this moment. Once again, I sincerely apologize to everyone.&quot;</p><p>South Korea has extremely tough laws on illegal drugs, with Koreans who take drugs such as marijuana legally abroad risking prosecution upon returning to their home country.</p><p>The Seongbuk police official said authorities believed his body had been taken to the Seoul National University Hospital.</p><p>Lee is survived by his wife, actress Jeon Hye-jin and two sons.</p><p>© Agence France-Presse</p><p>For more news and features on K-pop, K-drama, and K-stars, visit the <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/kcontents">Hallyu Corner</a> microsite.</p><div><strong><em>Editor&#x27;s note:</em></strong></div><div><em>A group in the Philippines is dedicated to addressing those who have suicidal tendencies.</em></div><div><em>The crisis hotlines of the Natasha Goulbourn Foundation aim to make these individuals feel that someone is ready to listen to them.</em></div><div><em>These are their hotline numbers:</em></div><div><em>Information and Crisis Intervention Center<br/>(02) 804-HOPE (4673)<br/>0917-558-HOPE (4673) or (632) 211-4550<br/>0917-852-HOPE (4673) or (632) 964-6876<br/>0917-842-HOPE (4673) or (632) 964-4084</em></div><div><em>In Touch Crisis Lines:<br/>0917-572-HOPE or (632) 211-1305<br/>(02) 893-7606 (24/7)<br/>(02) 893-7603 (Mon-Fri, 9 am-5 pm)<br/>Globe (63917) 800.1123 or (632) 506.7314<br/>Sun (63922) 893.8944 or (632) 346.8776 </em></div>

South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun, best known for his role in the Oscar-winning film Parasite, was found dead Wednesday. 