Lee Sun-kyun, a South Korean actor who appeared on the Apple TV+ series Dr. Brain and was a protagonist in Bong Joon Ho’s Oscar-winning film Parasite, has reportedly committed suicide. At the time, he was 48.
Wednesday morning, local time, the South Korean news agency Yonhap reports that Lee’s body was discovered inside a vehicle in a park in Seoul. According to Yonhap, Lee’s spouse informed law enforcement that her husband had departed from their residence and discovered what seemed to be a note suggesting suicide.
According to local media, Lee Sun-Kyun was the subject of an investigation into allegations that he had used illicit substances. The ongoing crackdown on hard drugs by the South Korean government has generated a sequence of accusations against prominent individuals in recent weeks.
Among those implicated are actors, vocalists, socialites, and heirs to the nation’s wealthiest families. Among those affected by the enforcement is the K-pop singer G-Dragon, even though he was acquitted of any wrongdoing a week ago.
Lee Sun-Kyun was reportedly questioned by police three times, for a total of 19 hours over the weekend, regarding his use of psychoactive substances and marijuana, according to Yonhap.
Lee allegedly traveled to the Gangnam district of Seoul on several occasions since the beginning of this year, including last Saturday, where he purchased illegal substances. According to reports, the actor claimed that a bar hostess deceived him into using narcotics before attempting to blackmail him.
Drug-related offenses in South Korea are generally met with severe penalties, ranging from six months to fourteen years in prison for serial offenders and dealers.
Lee is most widely recognized in Western cinema for his role as Park Dong-ik, the patriarch of an affluent family whose mansion serves as the setting for Bong’s upcoming black comedy thriller Parasite (2019). Screen Actors Guild Awards were presented to Lee and the remaining members of the Parasite cast.
Lee Sun-Kyun, born in 1975 in Seoul, attended the Korea National University of Arts to study drama. His breakthrough performance on television occurred in the 2007 medical drama White Tower, and his performance in the 2007 adolescent drama Coffee Prince was well received.
Lee’s collaborations with writer Seo Sook-hyang were well-known on television, including the romantic comedy workplace drama Pasta (2010), in which he portrayed a haughty chef at an Italian restaurant, Drama City, and the 1997-set drama Miss Korea (2013).
He made the transition to feature films in 2012 and appeared in two of the most successful Korean films of that year, including the lead role in the psychological thriller Helpless by Byun Young-Joo and the role of the timid husband in the romantic comedy All About My Wife by Min Kyu-dong.
Lee Sun-Kyun, a multi-talented actor, deftly transitioned between major motion pictures, high-budget television dramas, and stage productions. Three independent films were produced by the prolific Korean filmmaker Hong Sang-soo in which he appeared as a lead actor: Nobody’s Daughter Haewon (2013), Night and Day (2008), and Oki’s Movie (2010).
His additional noteworthy filmography comprises the leading role in A Hard Day (2014), an action thriller directed by Kim Seong-hun that debuted in the Directors’ Fortnight section of the Cannes Film Festival, and Paju (2009), a film produced by Park Chan-ok that circulated on the international festival circuit.
Lee starred in the principal role of Dr. Brain, the inaugural Korean-language original series on Apple TV+, in 2021. In the six-episode science fiction thriller, he portrayed Koh Se-won, a dispassionate, calculating neurologist who uses brain experiments to gather information to solve a family mystery.
Lee Sun-Kyun is survived by their two sons and his wife, the actress Jeon Hye-jin.
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