Lee Sun-kyun from ‘Parasite’ Passes Away at the Age of 48

Actor Lee Sun-kyun, who starred in Parasite, the 2020 Oscar winner for Best Picture, passed away early on Wednesday morning, according to Variety, which quoted the Associated Press and Yonhap, the South Korean news agency. At 48, Lee Sun-kyun was. According to the Associated Press, he was found dead in a car in a park in the heart of Seoul. Lee’s family claimed he left the house early on Wednesday and left a suicide note, prompting police to go on the hunt for him.

Police have recently launched an investigation into Lee’s possible use of illegal drugs. Lee and seven other individuals were under investigation by the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency in South Korea regarding allegations of drug use. He claimed to have been blackmailed by an individual under investigation and to have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars as a consequence of the extortion.

Lee played Park Dong-ik, the affluent Park family patriarch who, in error, hires members of the deceitful, lower-class Kim family to help with child care and household chores. In a fit of rage, Kim Ki-taek (Song Kang-ho) murders Mr. Park at his daughter’s birthday party after the hoax is eventually exposed. After his breakthrough performance in “Parasite,” Lee starred in “Dr. Brain,” the first South Korean series on Apple TV+. He received an International Emmy Award nomination for best actor in 2022. He also starred in several South Korean films in the 2000s and 2010s, including “Payback,” “Diary of a Prosecutor,” “My Mister,” “Killing Romance,” “Kingmaker,” and numerous others.

In Korean film, Lee was a well-known character. He starred in “Project Silence” and “Sleep” at Cannes this year. Following its September release, the latter dominated the Korean box office for three weeks. Actress Jeon Hye-jin, Lee’s wife, and their two kids are left behind.