Parasite actor Lee Sun-kyun found dead in car aged 48
South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun has died, aged just 48.
The actor, who is best known for his role as Park Dong-ik in the Oscar-winning movie Parasite, was found dead in a car in a park in Seoul, the BBC reports.
Lee's agency, HODU&U Entertainment, said in a statement: "There is no way to contain the sorrow and despair.
"We respectfully ask that you refrain from spreading false facts based on speculation... so that [Lee's] final journey will not be unfair."
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South Korean media outlets reported that police had been searching for Lee after his family reported that he had left home after writing a note.
Lee had been under investigation for alleged drug use amid an ongoing crackdown in South Korea.
According to Sky News, the dad-of-two had been questioned three times, including for 19 hours over the weekend.
News agency Yonhap said Lee claimed he had been tricked into taking illegal drugs by a hostess who then attempted to blackmail him.
Giving a brief statement before going in for questioning last October, Lee said: “I sincerely apologise for causing great disappointment to many people by being involved in such an unpleasant incident.
“I feel sorry for my family, which is enduring such difficult pain at this moment.”
Lee had attended South Korea’s prestigious Korea National University of Arts.
He first found fame in South Korea after starring in sitcom Lovers.
However, it was his appearance in the 2019 black-comedy thriller Parasite that he would become best known for.
Lee won a Screen Actors Guild award for cast in a motion picture in 2020 for Parasite.
The movie went on to win four Oscars at the 2020 Academy Awards and made history after scooping the coveted ‘Best Picture’ award - being the first non-English language movie to do so.
Speaking about the win back in October, Lee told HollywoodChicago.com: "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. So when our director won, we thought the day was over.
"You cannot imagine how surprised and excited we were when they called the film for Best Picture. I'll never forget it.”
Lee also starred in Apple TV+’s first Korean-language original series Dr Brain in 2022.
The six-part sci-fi thriller centred on a neurologist, hunting for clues to a mysterious family accident through brain experiments.
For the role, he was nominated for the best actor at the International Emmy Awards.
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Claire Reid