“Parasite” director Boon Joon-ho led a press conference in Seoul on Friday, following the death of actor Lee Sun-kyun by suicide at the end of December.
Lee was investigated by police in Incheon for possible recreational drug use, and was at the center of a storm of media and social media commentary in the two months before his death.
Supported by a massive array of artists, cultural organizations and trade associations, Bong called for an investigation into police tactics and called on established media outlets to consider sensationalist coverage that may have contributed to Lee’s decision to commit suicide. Public broadcaster KBS was particularly criticized.
“Clear legislative improvements are needed to ensure that principles and exceptions are not reversed between the human rights of suspects and the public’s right to know, and that investigative authorities do not arbitrarily interpret and apply the intent of the law,” the ad hoc group said. .
The media event was held on the 19th floor of the Korean Press Center in Seoul’s central business district. A day earlier, the group issued a statement titled “Demands of Artists and Culture Workers in Confrontation of the Death of Late Actor Lee Sun-kyun.”
In keeping with the move to criticize sensationalist comments, speculation and criticism online, organizers of Friday’s conference announced they would not take any questions, provide supplementary answers and would not hold a photo session.
Instead, with actor Choi Duk-moon as emcee, the event consisted of a rotating series of speakers who each offered their own calls for justice and reform, including speeches from Yoon Jong-shin, Lee Won-ti, and Kim Eui-sung, a representative of the Producers Guild of Korea. Choi Jung Hwa, Koh Young Jae from the Independent Film Association, director Jang Hang Jun, Kwak Shin Ae (representing both production company Baronson and Women in Cinema), Yoon Jong Shin, director Lee Won Tae, Lee Joo Yeon, from the Korean Film Marketing Association and PGK Chairman Choi Jung Hao.
“We hope that such a tragedy will not be repeated again in the process of investigating popular culture artists. This is the demand of the cultural and artistic community facing the death of the late Lee Sun Kyun,” Yoon Jong Shin said.
“I call on the authorities to investigate. We call on the police to investigate whether there was any lapse in the security of the investigation from the moment the details of the investigation into the deceased were first revealed until two months have passed. We want to know whether there was no media contact,” Bong said, visibly tearful. “Individually during the investigation, we want the results to be announced so that there is no doubt.”
More is coming…