South Korean actor and Parasite star, Lee Sun-kyun had been dropped from TV projects due to ‘hostess blackmail drug scandal’ before he was found dead in a suspected suicide.
The acclaimed South Korean actor who shot to worldwide fame following the release of the Oscar-winning film Parasite was found dead in his car in a suspected suicide at the age of 48 on Wednesday morning, December 27.
His wife, Jeon Hye-jin, an actress and former Miss Korea contestant, called the police after finding a suicide note. His body was found in a Seoul car park.
Lee was being investigated by police over allegations of taking marijuana and a powder which his accuser, a hostess at a high-end bar, said was ketamine. The drugs, she claimed, were taken at her home.
After news of an official investigation into his alleged drug use was published in late October, he was dropped from major projects, including a mystery thriller TV show, No Way Out, that began shooting that month.
The production company in charge of shooting the show sought to fire him after police said they may have needed a sample of his hair for drug testing, local media reported.
The production company said at the time that it had notified all crew and cast members working on the show, which is about a South Korean serial killer who is being hunted down by a police officer, that shooting would be postponed for two weeks to reorganise the cast.
His three appearances at police stations for questioning were highly publicised, and made headlines. His lawyer, after his final session on December 23 , asked that any further questioning be carried out in private, owing to the ‘burden’ of the spotlight.
Lee insisted he had not knowingly taken illegal drugs, and passed toxicology tests: he was demanding a lie detector test at the time of his death, to assess whether he or the hostess – known only as ‘A’ – was telling the truth.
He claimed she was trying to blackmail him, and had filed a criminal case.
‘I would like to sincerely apologize once again for causing so many people concerns,’ he said after his first questioning, on October 28 at the Nonhyeon Police Station in Incheon.
‘I will answer all questions truthfully.
‘A’ tricked me into doing drugs. I did not know that what she handed me were illegal drugs.’
South Korea has extremely strict laws against drug use.
