Parasite actor Lee Sun-kyun found dead amid South Korea probe into illegal drug use

Lee had been under investigation over illegal drug use allegations amid an ongoing government crackdown on illegal drugs.

Lee was found unconscious next to briquettes inside a car at a park in Seoul on Wednesday morning, after his wife reported to police that Lee had left home and she had found what appeared to be a suicide note, Yonhap said.

Seoul’s Jongno police station did not immediately respond to phone calls.

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Lee had been questioned three times by police, including for 19 hours over the weekend. The actor had said he was tricked into taking drugs by a bar hostess who then tried to blackmail him, Yonhap reported.

Born in 1975, Lee starred as a rich family’s father in “Parasite”, and also played leading roles in South Korean films including the 2012 thriller “Helpless” and 2014’s “All About My Wife”, among others.

Lee had the lead role in Apple TV+’s first Korean-language original series, which rolled out in 2021. “Dr. Brain”, a six-episode sci-fi thriller, was about a cold-hearted neurologist, Koh Se-won, who tries to find clues to a mysterious family accident through brain experiments.

Previously celebrated for his wholesome image, local news outlets reported that the actor was being dropped from television and commercial projects following his drug scandal.