Lee Sun Kyun
Stefan Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images
Prominent Korean filmmakers and arts organizers will hold a media event in Seoul on Friday to demand an investigation by authorities into the circumstances leading to the death. parasite star Lee Sun Kyun, who died last month at the age of 48 due to an apparent suicide.
Before his death, Lee had been under police investigation for several weeks on suspicion of illegal drug use, accusations he vehemently denied. The actor claimed that he was the victim of an extortion plot and that if he took drugs, it was because he was tricked into doing so. South Korean police said Lee passed several drug tests and sat through lengthy interrogation sessions, including a marathon meeting days before his death that lasted 19 hours. His lawyers told local media that the actor is upset by the way the police handled the investigation and how details were leaked to the press, damaging his career and reputation.
On Tuesday, a new organization called the Cultural Artists Solidarity Association (translation), issued a statement announcing its formation and urging Korean media and local authorities to work together to prevent tragedies like Lee’s from happening again. The association’s members include 29 prominent arts and cultural groups, including South Korea’s leading film event, the Busan International Film Festival, and the Korean Entertainment Producers Association.
The organization said in its statement: “We have all come together in the firm conviction that such an incident should not happen again, after facing the tragic death of actor Lee Sun-kyun.” “We will call for an investigation to discover the truth (in Lee’s case), ask the media to delete articles that do not do their job as journalism, and also urge the authorities to review the law to protect the human rights of artists.”
The group said it will hold a press conference in Seoul on Friday attended by figures including the Oscar winner parasite Director Bong Joon Ho and director Lee Won Tae (Gangsters, policeman, Satan), actor Choi Deok Moon (who appeared in the hit Korean drama produced by Disney Moving) and Choi Jeong-hwa, head of the Korean Producers Guild, among other prominent Korean artists.
Lee’s case has put an international spotlight on South Korea’s strict drug laws, which can result in prison sentences of up to 14 years, and are applied even if Korean citizens use drugs while outside the country. In late 2022, right-wing Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol declared a “war on drugs” that led to an increase in arrests and increased social stigma of users and addicts. More than 17,000 people were arrested on drug charges in 2023, up from an estimated 10,400 in 2019, according to the Korean National Police Agency.
Lee’s death also sparked discussion about mental health and the profound social pressures faced by famous Korean artists. Several high-profile stars have died by suicide in recent years, including singer Kim Jong-hyun in 2017, K-pop stars Sulli and Goo Hara in 2019, and singer Moon Bin in 2023. South Korea has one of the highest suicide rates among… advanced countries. In 2021, the country’s suicide rate was 26 per 100,000 people, compared to 15.7 per 100,000 people in Japan and 14.1 per 100,000 in the United States.
Dubbed “The Voice” by his fans at home for his distinctive speaking voice, Lee was best known to Western audiences for playing Park Dong-ik, the head of the wealthy family at the heart of director Bong’s 2019 black comedy. parasite. Lee received a Screen Actors Guild Award that year along with the rest of the cast parasite He slanders. In 2022, Lee was nominated for Best Actor at the International Emmys for his role in Apple TV+’s first Korean-language original series. Dr. Breen, a science fiction thriller film. And just last year, he returned to the Cannes Film Festival – where parasite He made history in 2019 by winning the Palme d’Or – supporting the lead role in Korean director Jason Yeo’s first horror drama film. Sleeps.
Somi Park contributed to this report from Seoul.
If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255.