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A group of South Korean artists led by… parasite Director Bong Joon-ho held a press conference in Seoul on Friday to urge authorities to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of prolific actor Lee Sun-kyun.
Lee, who played a lead role in Bong’s multi-Oscar-winning film parasiteHe died last month in an apparent suicide operation. He was 48 years old. At the time, he was under investigation for drug use at the home of a hostess working at an upscale bar in Seoul’s Gangnam district. Yonhap reported that authorities interrogated Lee several times, including for 19 hours on the weekend before his death. The actor said he was tricked into taking drugs.
During the press conference, the newly formed Korea Cultural Artistes Solidarity Association specifically called on authorities to investigate police conduct during the investigation into Lee and the subsequent media fallout, which included publishing the actor’s apparent suicide note despite opposition from his family. .
“We urge a comprehensive investigation to determine whether there was any error in police (information) security during the two months from the first leak of information about the investigation of the late actor until his death,” Bong said at a Korean News press conference. Yonhap reported. “We demand the plain truth as to whether it is legally correct for the police to release the late actor’s police appearance schedules.”
The director added that the group’s efforts were an attempt to prevent a “second or third victim” after Lee’s death. Among those attending the press conference were actor Kim Eui-sung, representatives from the influential Busan Film Festival, and the Korean Directors Guild. The group said it plans to submit its statement to National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo, the National Police Agency, and state-run KBS Broadcasting.
Yonhap reported that last Friday, after Lee’s suicide, the Incheon City Police Agency referred two women, including a bar hostess, to the prosecution for further investigation and possible charges for blackmailing Lee for 350 million won ($266,000).
Earlier this week, according to Korea HeraldThe Cultural Artists Solidarity Association, made up of 29 cultural and arts groups, including the Busan Film Festival, issued a statement urging authorities and media to prevent similar deaths in the future.
The statement, according to Korea HeraldHe said, “In the face of the tragic death of actor Lee Sun Kyun, we shared the same heart that this should never happen again. We will call for an investigation by investigating officials to find out the truth, and ask the media to delete articles that do not fit their function as media, and we also urge the authorities to review the law to protect the human rights of artists.