Bong Joon-ho and Lee Sun-kyun on Jan. 3, 2020.Photo:Frazer Harrison/Getty
Frazer Harrison/Getty
Bong Joon-ho, the filmmaker behind the 2019Academy AwardssensationParasite, is joining a number of Korean filmmakers and culture organizations in calling for an investigation into actor Lee Sun-kyun’s death.
Multiple outlets broke the news of Lee’s death at 48 in December. As TheAssociated Pressreported at the time, theParasitestar was found dead on Dec. 27, 2023, inside a car at a Seoul park. The AP additionally reported that police had been searching for Lee after his family said that he left what appeared to be a suicide note.
“We have all come together under the firm conviction that no such incident should ever take place again, after facing the tragic death of actor Lee Sun-kyun,” the organization said in a statement, perTHR. “We will call for a probe to discover the truth [of Lee’s death], request media outlets to delete articles that do not fulfill their function as journalism, as well as urge authorities to revise the law to protect the human rights of artists.”
Lee Sun-kyun in 2019’s ‘Parasite’.Neon/Everett
Neon/Everett
The organization stated it will hold a press conference Friday regarding Lee’s death. Bong, 54, who worked with Lee onParasite, is among major South Korean entertainment industry figures expected to attend, perThe Korea Herald.
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Lee Sun-kyun (center) with director Bong Joon-ho (right) and the cast of ‘Parasite’ on Feb. 9, 2020.Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
While the Yonhap News Agency identified the two women under further investigation as acquaintances, a police official told the outlet the pair “were not accomplices” in the alleged blackmails.
Lee Sun-kyun (left) in 2019’s ‘Parasite’.Neon / Courtesy Everett
Neon / Courtesy Everett
South Korean police closed the investigation into Lee’s alleged drug use following his death, which has been considered an apparent suicide, per multiple outlets.
InParasite— which wonBest Picture at the 92nd Annual Academy Awardsin 2020 — Lee played the head of the wealthy Park family at the center of the film. The South Korean film made history as the first non-English language movie to win Best Picture at the Oscars. The film also won Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best International Feature Film at that year’s ceremony.
source: people.com
