Lee Sun-kyun, Star of Oscar-Winning Film Parasite, Dies at 48

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Lee Sun-kyun, the actor who played Park Dong-ik in the Oscar-winning movie Parasite, has died at the age of 48.

As reported by THR, the news of Lee’s death was confirmed by South Korean news agency Yonhap. Lee was said to have been found dead in a car at a park in Seoul on Wednesday, December 27.

Prior to his death, there was a search taking place for him after his wife said he left their home after writing what appeared to be a suicide note.

Local media claim Lee was being investigated by police over alleged illegal drug use. This investigation comes during a time when “the South Korean government’s ongoing crackdown on hard drugs has led to a series of allegations against high-profile people including actors, singers, socialites and heirs to the country’s richest families.”

According to Yonhap, Lee was questioned three different times by police. He said he was the victim of blackmail and was “tricked into taking drugs by a bar hostess.”

Lee Sun-kyun was born on March 2, 1975, in Seoul, South Korea. He attended the Korea National University of Arts in 1994 and graduated as part of the university’s first-ever class of its School of Drama.

His big television break came in the form of the the medical drama White Tower in 2007, and he would continute on to star in such projects as Coffee Prince, Drama City, Pasta, and Miss Korea. On the movie front, some of his biggest roles include the psychological thriller Helpless and the romantic comedy All About My Wife.

For much of the Western audience, his performance as Park Dong-ik in Parasite is what he is best known for. Lee earned a Screen Actors Guild Award for his performance and the movie itself won the Oscar for best picture and IGN’s best movie of 2019.

In 2021, Lee starred Apple TV+ first Korean-language original series Dr. Brain. In 2023, he was part of Payback, Killing Romance, Project Silence, and Sleep.

Lee is survived by his wife, Jeon Hye-jin, and their two sons.

If you are having suicidal thoughts, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline in the U.S. is available 24 hours a day at 1-800-273-8255. A list of international suicide hotlines can be found here.

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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.