Dec. 26 (UPI) — South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun of the Oscar-winning film Parasite has been found dead, according to police, who suspect he died by suicide.
According to police, the body of a 48-year-old man was found unconscious in a vehicle near Waryong Park in central Seoul’s Jongno area at around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Yonhap News reported. Police later identified the body as belonging to Lee.
A charcoal briquette was found in the passenger side, authorities said, suggesting Lee died by carbon monoxide poisoning though the exact cause of death has yet to be determined.
His body was found amid a search for the actor that began earlier Wednesday morning after police received a call reporting Lee missing and that a note that read like a will had been discovered at his house.
The incident comes as Lee has been the subject of a police drug investigation.
Lee has sat three times for questioning with police, including most recently on Saturday, over allegations that he consumed marijuana and other drugs at the home of a woman who worked at a high-end Gangnam hostess bar.
The actor said he had been tricked into taking the drugs by the hostess, whom he accused of blackmail.
Lee was a prolific television and film actor in South Korea, with more than 45 acting credits to his name since 2003, according to IMDB, but was thrust into the international spotlight over his role in 2019’s Parasite, which became the first foreign-language movie to win the Oscar for Best Picture.
