Bong Joon-ho leads call for probe into Lee Sun-kyun's death
Several South Korean artists, including Parasite director Bong Joon-ho, on Friday, raised a clarion call urging the country's authorities to investigate the events leading up to actor Lee Sun-kyun's (48) death. Bong is a part of the newly formed The Korean Association of Solidarity of Cultural Artists which has raised doubts about the police's handling of the case and the subsequent media coverage. Lee—best known for Bong's Parasite—was found dead in his car in December amid a drug abuse investigation.
This is what Bong is fighting for
Bong called for an investigation into possible faults in the police's investigation system and the publication of the actor's apparent suicide note. "We urge a thorough investigation to determine whether there was any fault in the police's (information) security in the two months since the first information leak about the investigation into the late actor up to his death." "We demand clear truth regarding whether it was legally right to release the late actor's police appearance schedules to the press."
Support from influential cultural organizations
Present at the conference were actor Kim Eui-sung, representatives from the Busan Film Festival, and the Directors Guild of Korea. The group will submit their statement to Korean National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo, the National Police Agency, and state-run broadcaster KBS. Similarly, recently, The Association of Solidarity of Cultural Artists, comprising 29 culture and arts groups, released a statement urging authorities and media to prevent similar deaths. TKSCA also added that they aim to prevent a "second or third victim."
Lee's death and drug allegations
Lee faced drug use allegations in October and had been under investigation since then. During the police crackdown, he denied knowingly taking hard drugs, claiming he thought they were sleeping pills instead. The actor went through three police interrogations and requested a polygraph test just a day before his demise. However, he tested negative in both a reagent test and a lab-based drug test. Resultantly, though, he suffered professional setbacks, including being removed from certain projects.
Quick look at Lee's career highlights
Born in 1975, Lee, a luminary of South Korean cinema, Lee portrayed the role of a rich father in Parasite. His illustrious career included captivating lead roles in films like the 2012 thriller Helpless, All About My Wife (2012), and the 2014 gem A Hard Day. Lee was also at the forefront of Apple TV+'s first Korean-language series, the 2021 sci-fi thriller Dr. Brain, wherein he portrayed the neurologist Koh Se-won.
