“Parasite” Director Bong Joon-ho Calls for Investigation Into Actor Lee Sun-kyun's Death

'Parasite' star Lee Sun-kyun was found dead on Dec. 27, 2023, inside a car at a Seoul park. The actor was 48

Bong Joon-ho, the filmmaker behind the 2019 Academy Awards sensation Parasite, is joining a number of Korean filmmakers and culture organizations in calling for an investigation into actor Lee Sun-kyun's death.

Multiple outlets broke the news of Lee's death at 48 in December. As The Associated Press reported at the time, the Parasite star was found dead on Dec. 27, 2023, inside a car at a Seoul park. The AP additionally reported that police had been searching for Lee after his family said that he left what appeared to be a suicide note.

More than two weeks later, a newly formed organization named the Association of Solidarity of Cultural Artists called on South Korean officials to continue to investigate Lee's death, as reported by Seoul's English-language outlet The Korea Herald and The Hollywood Reporter.

“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 a statement, per THR. “We will call for a probe to discover the truth [of Lee’s death], 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.”

Related: Parasite Actor Lee Sun-kyun Found Dead amid Drug Allegations

The organization stated it will hold a press conference Friday regarding Lee's death. Bong, 54, who worked with Lee on Parasite, is among major South Korean entertainment industry figures expected to attend, per The Korea Herald.

Lee's death came during a months-long police investigation into him over alleged illegal drug use at the home of a bar hostess in Seoul. He was found dead just days after he had experienced a 19-hour interview by police regarding the investigation for the third time, as The Korea Herald reported. Lee maintained his innocence throughout the investigation.

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Last week, two women were referred for potential indictment on charges of blackmailing the actor in exchange for 350 million won ($266,605), as South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported Jan. 5. While neither women were identified by name by the outlet, one woman was identified as a 29-year-old bar hostess. Lee's alleged illegal drug use took place at her home, per the outlet.

While the Yonhap News Agency identified the two women under further investigation as acquaintances, a police official told the outlet the pair "were not accomplices" in the alleged blackmails.

South Korean police closed the investigation into Lee's alleged drug use following his death, which has been considered an apparent suicide, per multiple outlets.

In Parasite — which won Best Picture at the 92nd Annual Academy Awards in 2020 — Lee played the head of the wealthy Park family at the center of the film. The South Korean film made history as the first non-English language movie to win Best Picture at the Oscars. The film also won Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best International Feature Film at that year's ceremony.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.

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