Lee Sun-kyun, a popular South Korean actor best known for his role in the Oscar-winning film Parasite, was found dead Wednesday inside a vehicle in Seoul, authorities said. The discovery came after several weeks of an intense police investigation into his alleged drug use.

Police and emergency services initially believed Lee was in a state of unconsciousness inside the vehicle parked on a street in the north of the city. Emergency personnel later confirmed he was dead, according to the capital's Seongbuk police station.

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Police had been searching for Lee, 48, after receiving a report of his disappearance, Seongbuk police said.

Authorities declined to provide further details, including whether they had determined Lee had taken his own life. But South Korean media outlets, including the Yonhap news agency, reported that the actor's family had reported hours earlier to police that he had left home after writing a message similar to a suicide note early Wednesday.

Lee's body was later taken to a nearby hospital, Seongbuk police said.

Lee appeared in Parasite, which won Academy Awards for best picture and in three other categories in 2020. The class satire was the first film in a language other than English to win best picture in the awards' 92-year history. It also became the first South Korean film to win an Oscar. Lee played the head of a wealthy family.

In 2021, she won a Screen Actors Guild Award for "Cast in a Movie" for her role in the same film. In addition, he was nominated last year for Best Actor at the International Emmy Awards for his performance in the sci-fi thriller Dr. Brain.

Even before Parasite, Lee had long been a popular actor in South Korea. He rose to stardom for his role in the television series Coffee Prince (2007), and gained popularity with the musical drama Behind The White Tower (2007), Pasta (2010), and My Mister (2018).

Lee had been the subject of police investigations over allegations that he had used illegal drugs at a bar hostess's residence. The investigation received extensive tabloid coverage. Lee insisted he used the drugs through deception and didn't know what he was taking, according to Yonhap.

  • cinema
  • South Korea