(2nd LD) Actor Lee Sun-kyun found dead in apparent suicide
(ATTN: UPDATES with more info throughout)
SEOUL, Dec. 27 (Yonhap) -- Actor Lee Sun-kyun of the Oscar-winning "Parasite" was found dead in an apparent suicide Wednesday while facing an investigation over suspected drug use.
A man in his 40s was found unconscious in a car at a park in central Seoul at 10:30 a.m., and the police later identified him as Lee. In the passenger seat was a charcoal briquette.
The police earlier received a report that Lee left home after writing a memo akin to a suicide note and that his car was gone.
"As he was pronounced dead, he wasn't taken to hospital," a fire official said.
Lee has gone through three rounds of police questioning on suspicions of using marijuana and other illegal drugs at the home of a hostess working at a high-end bar in Seoul's Gangnam district on multiple occasions since early this year, including last Saturday.
The actor claimed he was tricked by the hostess into taking the drugs and that he did not know what he was taking.
Lee tested negative in both the brief reagent test conducted during police investigations and the lab-based drug test by the National Forensic Service last month.
The previous day, Lee submitted a polygraph test request to the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency charged with the investigation, claiming his innocence.
Lee rose to global fame after "Parasite," in which he played a main role, won Academy Awards in 2020.
pbr@yna.co.kr
(END)
-
U.S. Indo-Pacific commander says S. Korea's acquisition of nuclear submarines could be considered in future: Yoon's office
-
S. Korea warns of end of N. Korean regime if Pyongyang uses nuclear weapons
-
BTS' Jin to carry Olympic torch near Louvre Museum on Sunday: reports
-
BTS' Jin carries Paris Olympics torch amid cheers from thousands of fans
-
(7th LD) Trump suffers gunshot wound to ear during campaign rally
-
U.S. Indo-Pacific commander says S. Korea's acquisition of nuclear submarines could be considered in future: Yoon's office
-
S. Korea warns of end of N. Korean regime if Pyongyang uses nuclear weapons
-
BTS' Jin carries Paris Olympics torch amid cheers from thousands of fans
-
(2nd LD) S. Korea's KHNP named preferred bidder to build nuclear plants in Czech Republic
-
No senior N. Korean officials attend banquet hosted by Chinese envoy in Pyongyang
-
(4th LD) Renowned Korea expert released after arrest for allegedly acting as unregistered agent for S. Korea
-
Torrential rain alerts issued across capital area; expressways in Seoul partly closed
-
(2nd LD) S. Korea's KHNP named preferred bidder to build nuclear plants in Czech Republic
-
S. Korea's KHNP named preferred bidder to build nuclear plant in Czech Republic: reports
-
(LEAD) Korean American expert on N. Korea accused of acting as agent for S. Korea: NYT