'Parasite' Actor Lee Sun-kyun Passed Several Drug Tests Before Apparent Suicide at 48: Report
South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun, 48, passed several drug tests before he was found dead from an apparent suicide this week.
Dec. 27 2023, Published 8:00 a.m. ET
Renowned South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun, 48, passed several drug tests before he was found dead from an apparent suicide this week, RadarOnline.com has learned.
In a shocking development to come after the Parasite star was found dead inside his car in Seoul on Wednesday, it was revealed that Sun-kyun was under investigation for illegal drug use before his suspected suicide.
The "Parasite" star was found dead inside his car in Seoul on Wednesday,
According to CNN, police from the South Korean city of Incheon confirmed that Sun-kyun had been questioned at least three times in recent weeks in connection to the drug use allegations against him.
The South Korean actor was reportedly questioned for 19 hours on Saturday regarding the allegations. He was released on Sunday.
Also interesting are reports that Sun-kyun passed several drug tests before his apparent suicide in Seoul on Wednesday.
Incheon police confirmed that the actor underwent several tests as part of the illegal drug use investigation and that all the drug tests came back negative.
Sun-kyun had been questioned at least three times in recent weeks in connection to drug use allegations against him.
According to the South Korean outlet Yonhap News, Sun-kyun was accused of using marijuana and other illegal drugs by the hostess of a club in the Gangnam District earlier this year.
The Parasite actor denied the allegations and claimed that he was tricked into taking the illegal drugs as part of a blackmailing scheme by the hostess and one other individual.
Sun-kyun filed a lawsuit against his alleged blackmailer before his suspected suicide on Wednesday, and Incheon police have reportedly arrested one woman and one man in connection to the drug investigation.
“Actor Lee Sun-kyun passed away today,” the actor’s agency, Hodu & U Entertainment, said in a statement on Wednesday. “There is no way to contain the sorrow and devastated feelings.”
The "Parasite" actor denied the allegations and claimed that he was tricked into taking the illegal drugs as part of a blackmailing scheme.
“Please refrain from spreading false information based on speculation or assumption,” the agency added.
Sun-kyun was found dead inside his car at a park in Seoul at approximately 10:30 AM local time on Wednesday shortly after his wife, Jeon Hye-jin, reported the actor missing.
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Sun-kyun also reportedly left a note “akin to a suicide note” before he left home on Wednesday morning.
Seoul investigators confirmed that the Parasite star’s cause of death is “presumed to be suicide.”
Sun-kyun achieved international fame after starring as Park Dong-ik in the Academy Award-winning film "Parasite" in 2019.
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Sun-kyun achieved international fame after starring as Park Dong-ik in the 2019 film Parasite.
Parasite went on to win the Oscar for Best Film at the 92nd Academy Awards – making it the first non-English language movie to ever win Best Picture.
"When all the nominations came out, I expected that director Boon Joon-ho could win, but I never thought we had a chance at Best Picture,” Sun-kyun explained during an interview two months before his death.
“So when our director won, we thought the day was over,” he continued. “You cannot imagine how surprised and excited we were when they called the film for Best Picture. I'll never forget it.”
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