“Parasite” Oscar winner Bong Joon Ho is part of a campaign calling for an investigation into actor Lee Sun-kyun‘s death.
Lee died of apparent suicide in December 2023. Bong, along with fellow Korean filmmakers, is set to hold a media event in Seoul on January 12 to campaign for authorities to investigate the circumstances behind Lee’s death. As IndieWire previously reported, Lee’s cause of death wasn’t officially ruled upon on December 27, but Lee allegedly left a message similar to a suicide note before his disappearance, and a charcoal briquette was found in his car, a device commonly used in South Korea to induce suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning. To note, the suicide rate in South Korea is one of the highest in the world.
At the time of his death, Lee had been under police investigation for weeks over suspected illegal drug use, including cannabis and other undisclosed psychoactive drugs. Lee claimed he was part of a blackmail plot and filed a lawsuit against a bar hostess whose residence he allegedly took the drugs in.
South Korean police revealed that Lee passed several drug tests and was questioned for 19 hours just days before his death. Lee’s lawyers have told local media outlets that the actor was upset by the way police were handling the investigation, especially with damaging details being leaked to the press.
Now, the Association of Solidarity Among Cultural Artists organization has vowed to look into Lee’s death and advocate for changes in how the police and Korean media work together. Twenty-nine members are behind the organization; in addition to Bong, director Lee Won-tae, actor Choi Deok-moon, and Choi Jeong-hwa, head of the Korean Producers Guild, are among those supporting the cause. The Busan International Film Festival and the Korea Entertainment Producer’s Association are additionally part of the organization.
“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 its statement (via The Hollywood Reporter). “We will call for a probe to discover the truth [of Lee’s case], 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.”
Late actor Lee won a Screen Actors Guild Ensemble Award for his turn in “Parasite,” and was later nominated for Best Actor at the international Emmys for his performance in Apple TV+ Korean-language series “Dr. Brain.” In 2023, Lee attended the Cannes Film Festival to promote horror film “Sleep.”
