Actor Lee Sun-kyun, who played a main role in the Oscar-winning film Parasite, was found dead in his car in Seoul, South Korea on December 27. He was 48.
Officials were investigating the death as a possible suicide, police said. The actor had reportedly been under police investigation since late October on suspicion of using marijuana and other drugs, which are illegal in South Korea.
Lee’s representatives had accused an unidentified woman and another individual as being at the center of the situation: They accused them of blackmailing the actor over the drug use — which his reps insist was unintentional — and swindling him out of money.
Lee reportedly tested negative for drug use recently, and his attorney claimed the actor would take a lie detector test in an effort to clear his name.
In a statement obtained by ABC News, his representatives expressed their “sorrow and despair” over the news and cautioned against “spreading false facts based on speculation and malicious reports” after his death.
In Parasite, Lee played Dong Ik, a wealthy tech exec who unknowingly hires a family of swindlers to tend to his home and family. He also starred in the Korean sci-fi series Dr. Brain, which is streaming on Apple TV+.
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