Korean drama "Parasite" star Lee Sun-kyun passed away, cause of death under investigation

Lee Sun-kyun, who starred in the Best Picture-winning "Parasite," has died at the age of 48 after going missing in Seoul, South Korea, according to multiple media reports.

South Korea's Office of Emergency Affairs confirmed the news today, Wednesday, December 27th.

Authorities had been searching for the actor after his family said they found a suicide note-like message, and he was eventually found dead in a car near a Seoul park, according to South Korean media reports.

Lee Sun-kyun has been accused of drug use and is under investigation during South Korea's official crackdown on drugs. He reportedly withdrew from the recently launched TV series "No Way Out" because of this. Yonhap News Agency reported that he was interrogated by authorities several times, including a 19-hour interrogation last weekend. During this period, the actor said he was tricked into taking drugs.

After Parasite, he and other actors in the show won the 2020 Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Cast.