Parasite Director Bong Joon-Ho Leads Calls for Investigation Into Death of Actor Lee Sun-Kyun
Summary
- Parasite director Bong Joon-ho and other prominent Korean filmmakers and arts organizers are calling for an investigation to be carried out into the death of actor Lee Sun-kyun.
- Acclaimed South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun was declared dead amid shocking personal details.
- Lee was under investigation for illegal drug use allegations, part of a government crackdown on illegal drugs.
Parasite director Bong Joon-ho and other prominent Korean filmmakers and arts organizers are calling for an investigation to be carried out into the death of actor Lee Sun-kyun, who tragically died by suicide in December. The filmmaker and others have now come together to form the Association of Solidarity Among Cultural Artists, releasing a statement (via THR) and asking for a “probe” to investigate the circumstances surrounding the case.
“We have all come together under the firm conviction that no such incident should ever take place again, after facing the tragic death of actor Lee Sun-kyun. We will call for a probe to discover the truth [of Lee’s case], request media outlets to delete articles that do not fulfill their function as journalism, as well as urge authorities to revise the law to protect the human rights of artists.”
The group, which includes South Korea’s Busan International Film Festival, and the Korea Entertainment Producer’s Association among its 29 members, will hold a press conference in Seoul on Friday.
The acclaimed South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun was declared dead amid several shocking details last month, according to Seoul police. As Reuters reports, “Lee had been under investigation over illegal drug use allegations amid an ongoing government crackdown on illegal drugs. Lee was found unconscious next to charcoal 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.” Lee was 48.
This follows Lee’s 19-hour-long interrogation by the police over the weekend before Christmas. He was previously questioned twice on the same case, on Oct. 28th and Nov. 4th, according to The Korea Times. Lee claimed he was being blackmailed by a bar hostess with whom he did drugs. After his weekend interrogation, he told reporters, “I feel like it is a bit too late, but I’ve finished the questioning by the police about the blackmail case. I hope the police wisely determine which statements are more reliable between mine and the blackmailers.”
South Korea has notoriously stringent and at times draconian drug laws. They forbid their citizens to consume cannabis even when traveling to another country where that drug is legal. People can be imprisoned for months, years, or even up to 14 years for drug use.
Suicide by charcoal (which Lee likely used) and thus carbon monoxide is more common in Asian countries. South Korean pop stars Kim Jong-hyun and Goo Hara have used this method similarly, as have Chinese pop star Du Yuwei and lead singer Brad Delp of the band Boston.
Lee Sun-kyun Was a South Korean Star
Parasite
- Release Date
- May 30, 2019
- Rating
- R
- Runtime
- 132
Lee Sun-kyun appeared in numerous South Korean television shows before breaking big on the international scene thanks to acclaimed films like Paju, Helpless, and A Hard Day. The actor’s working relationship with the great director Hong Sang-soo took him to new heights on the festival circuit, and Lee became a recognizable face around the world for his role as the somewhat clueless rich father in the Bong Joon-ho film, Parasite, the first international movie to with the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Lee leaves behind his wife, Jeon Hye-jin, and two children.
