“Parasite” star Lee Sun-kyun was found dead in a car in late December. The director of the hit film is now calling for an investigation.
South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun (1975-2023), who played the lead role in the 2020 film “Parasite”, which won four Oscars, was found dead in a car in a park in central Seoul in late December 2023. Police had been searching for Lee after his family claimed he wrote a suicide note and left the house in the morning. The actor was 48 years old.
As it became known in the case, the police had investigated Lee and seven other people shortly before his death for alleged illegal drug use. The South Korean news agency Yonhap reported that Lee Sun-kyun was interrogated for 19 hours a few days before his death.
, “Parasite” director Bong Joon-ho (54) called for an investigation at a press conference in Seoul this Friday (January 12th) that would shed light on the legality of police methods and media reporting in the case after the alleged suicide. The director is supported in his call for reappraisal by artists, cultural organizations and business associations.
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Contact between police and media?
“Clear legislative improvements are needed to ensure that the principles and exceptions are not flipped between the human rights of suspects and the public’s right to know, and that investigative authorities do not arbitrarily interpret and apply the intent of the law,” it said, according to Variety ” in a joint statement.
Bong Joon-ho also said, “We demand that the police investigate whether there were any lapses in the security of the investigation from the moment the details of the investigation against the deceased were revealed until two months later. We want to know “There was no individual contact with the media during the investigation and we want the results to be made public so that there are no doubts.”
Police have denied allegations of negligence or unusual methods.
Success through “Parasite”
Lee was a famous artist in Korean cinema. He gained international fame with “Parasite”: In 2020, the film won four Oscars, including for best film, best director for Bong Joon-ho, best screenplay and best international feature film for South Korea.
It also won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, becoming the first South Korean film to receive this honor. The cast of “Parasite,” including Lee, won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture.
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
