Bong Joon Ho, Korean Filmmakers Call for Investigation Into Circumstances Surrounding Death of ‘Parasite’ Star Lee Sun-kyun

Etan Vlessing and Patrick Brzeski
·4 min read
9
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Prominent Korean filmmakers and arts organizers will hold a media event in Seoul on Friday calling for an investigation by authorities into the circumstances that led to the passing of Parasite star Lee Sun-kyun, who died last month at age 48 of an apparent suicide.

Before his death, Lee had been under police investigation for several weeks over suspected illegal drug use, accusations he strenuously denied. The actor claimed that he was the victim of a blackmail plot and that if he had consumed drugs, it was because he had been tricked into doing so. South Korean police have said that Lee passed several drug tests and sat for lengthy sessions of questioning, including one marathon meeting days before his death that lasted 19 hours. His lawyers have told local media outlets that the actor was upset by the way police were handling the investigation and how details were being leaked to the press, damaging his career and reputation.

More from The Hollywood Reporter

On Tuesday, a new organization called the Association of Solidarity Among Cultural Artists (translation) released a statement announcing its formation and urging the Korean media and local authorities to work together to prevent tragedies like Lee’s case from happening again. Members of the association include 29 prominent arts and culture groups, including South Korea’s leading cinema event, the Busan International Film Festival, and the Korea Entertainment Producer’s Association.

“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,” the organization said in its statement. “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 said it will hold a press conference in Seoul on Friday attended by figures including Oscar-winning Parasite director Bong Joon Ho, filmmaker Lee Won-tae (The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil), actor Choi Deok-moon (who appears in Disney’s K-drama hit Moving) and Choi Jeong-hwa, head of the Korean Producers Guild, among other prominent Korean artists.

Lee’s case has shined an international spotlight on South Korea’s notoriously tough drug laws, which can result in prison terms of up to 14 years and are even applied if Korean citizens use drugs while outside the country. In late 2022, Korea’s right-wing President Yoon Suk Yeol declared a “war on drugs” that has resulted in a surge of arrests and increased social stigma for users and addicts. Over 17,000 people were arrested on drug charges in 2023, up from an estimated 10,400 in 2019, according to Korea’s National Police Agency.

Lee’s death has also reignited discussion over mental health and the profound social pressures Korea’s popular entertainers face. Several high-profile stars have died by suicide in recent years, including singer Kim Jong-hyun in 2017, K-pop stars Sulli and Goo Hara in 2019, and singer Moon Bin in 2023. South Korea has one of the highest suicide rates among developed nations. In 2021, the suicide rate in the country was 26 out of every 100,000 people, compared to 15.7 per 100,000 people in Japan and 14.1 per 100,000 in the U.S.

Dubbed “The Voice” by his fans at home for his signature baritone speaking voice, Lee was best known to Western audiences for playing Park Dong-ik, the patriarch of the rich family at the heart of Bong’s 2019 black comedy thriller Parasite. Lee received a Screen Actors Guild Award that year along with the rest of the Parasite cast. In 2022, Lee was nominated for best actor at the international Emmys for his role in Apple TV+’s first Korean-language original series Dr. Brain, a sci-fi thriller. And just last year, he returned to the Cannes Film Festival — where Parasite made history in 2019 by winning the Palme d’Or — to support his starring role in Korean director Jason Yu’s horror drama feature debut Sleep.

Soomee Park contributed to this report from Seoul.

If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Suicide Prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255.

Best of The Hollywood Reporter