Lee Sun-kyun, ‘Parasite’ Star and Celebrated Korean Actor, Dead at 48

Lee Sun-kyun, a South Korean actor best known internationally for his performance in Parasite, died Wednesday, Dec. 27, in Seoul, The New York Times reports. He was 48.

Lee’s body was found in a parked car, not long after his manager had reported him missing. Authorities are investigating his death as a suicide, and say the actor left what appears to be a suicide note. An official cause of death has not yet been determined. 

Prior to his death, Lee had been under investigation as part of a probe into illegal drug use. The actor had been questioned multiple times by police since October and repeatedly denied the charges both in private interrogations and in public statements. He also claimed he was being blackmailed by another person caught up in the probe.

Earlier this week, Lee underwent a 19-hour interrogation, and afterwards told reporters: “I ask that the police make a good judgment about whose side’s statements are credible between me and the blackmailers.” 

(South Korea has very strict drug laws: Citizens can be prosecuted for using whether domestically or abroad, and penalties can run between six months to 14 years in prison. Enforcement and arrests have recently swelled after President Yoon Suk declared a “war on drugs.”)

Lee studied acting at the Korea national University of Arts, and went on to enjoy a prolific and celebrated career in film and television. After several years of steady work, his breakthrough came in 2007 with major roles on two acclaimed TV shows, the medical drama White Tower and the romantic series Coffee Prince. For the former, Lee was nominated for a Baeksang Arts Awards, one of Korea’s most prestigious entertainment industry prizes. 

In 2015, Lee won a Baeksang award for his performance in Kim Seong-hun’s celebrated action thriller, A Hard Day. He also earned wide praise — and another Baeksang nomination — for his performance in the television series My Mister, which debuted in 2018. The following year, he secured his international breakthrough with Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite.

In Parasite, Lee played Park Dong-ik, the patriarch of the well-to-do family infiltrated by the working class Kim family. Lee and the rest of the cast shared a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture as Parasite earned resounding global acclaim, winning both the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and the Oscar for Best Picture. 

Following the success of Parasite, Lee was tapped for AppleTV+’s first Korean-language show, the sci-fi thriller Dr. Brain. He also starred in the celebrated 2022 South Korean political drama, Kingmaker, for which he was once again nominated for a Baeksang. In 2023, Lee appeared in three movies, Sleep, Project Silence, and Killing Romance, as well as the TV show, Payback. 

Lee Sun-kyun, a South Korean actor best known internationally for his performance in Parasite, died Wednesday, Dec. 27, in Seoul, The New York Times reports. He was 48.

Lee’s body was found in a parked car, not long after his manager had reported him missing. Authorities are investigating his death as a suicide, and say the actor left what appears to be a suicide note. An official cause of death has not yet been determined. 

Prior to his death, Lee had been under investigation as part of a probe into illegal drug use. The actor had been questioned multiple times by police since October and repeatedly denied the charges both in private interrogations and in public statements. He also claimed he was being blackmailed by another person caught up in the probe.

Earlier this week, Lee underwent a 19-hour interrogation, and afterwards told reporters: “I ask that the police make a good judgment about whose side’s statements are credible between me and the blackmailers.” 

(South Korea has very strict drug laws: Citizens can be prosecuted for using whether domestically or abroad, and penalties can run between six months to 14 years in prison. Enforcement and arrests have recently swelled after President Yoon Suk declared a “war on drugs.”)

Lee studied acting at the Korea national University of Arts, and went on to enjoy a prolific and celebrated career in film and television. After several years of steady work, his breakthrough came in 2007 with major roles on two acclaimed TV shows, the medical drama White Tower and the romantic series Coffee Prince. For the former, Lee was nominated for a Baeksang Arts Awards, one of Korea’s most prestigious entertainment industry prizes. 

In 2015, Lee won a Baeksang award for his performance in Kim Seong-hun’s celebrated action thriller, A Hard Day. He also earned wide praise — and another Baeksang nomination — for his performance in the television series My Mister, which debuted in 2018. The following year, he secured his international breakthrough with Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite.

In Parasite, Lee played Park Dong-ik, the patriarch of the well-to-do family infiltrated by the working class Kim family. Lee and the rest of the cast shared a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture as Parasite earned resounding global acclaim, winning both the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and the Oscar for Best Picture. 

Following the success of Parasite, Lee was tapped for AppleTV+’s first Korean-language show, the sci-fi thriller Dr. Brain. He also starred in the celebrated 2022 South Korean political drama, Kingmaker, for which he was once again nominated for a Baeksang. In 2023, Lee appeared in three movies, Sleep, Project Silence, and Killing Romance, as well as the TV show, Payback.