Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 27) — South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun, who starred in the critically acclaimed film “Parasite,” was found dead in a car in Seoul on Wednesday amid police investigation into his alleged illegal drug use, local media reported.
The 48-year-old is believed to have died by suicide.
According to a report by Yonhap News Agency, Lee was found unresponsive at around 10:30 a.m. inside a car at a park, with a charcoal briquette in the passenger seat.
It said police earlier received information that Lee left home after writing a letter “akin to a suicide note.”
The award-winning actor had been questioned by authorities on allegations of using marijuana and other illegal drugs on multiple occasions – something he had denied.
South Korean news outlets have reported that Lee claimed he was tricked by a hostess of a high-end bar in Seoul’s Gangnam district into taking drugs, without knowing what it was.
In October, he filed a complaint against the hostess for allegedly blackmailing him.
Local media also stated that the actor tested negative in the brief reagent test conducted by police and the elaborate drug test by the National Forensic Service.
Lee rose to global fame for his role as the patriarch of a rich family in the Oscar-winning \”Parasite,” for which he was honored with the Screen Actors Guild Award, among other recognition.
He was married to actress Jeon Hye Jin, with whom he had two children.
