South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun, best known for his role in Oscar-winning film Parasite, was Wednesday found dead, say local media outlets quoting police.
The 48-year-old was found unconscious in a car at a park in central Seoul on Wednesday.
Burning charcoal was reportedly found next to him in the passenger seat.
It is unclear if Lee had taken his own life, but police had received a report that Lee left home after writing a memo, the news agency said.
He had recently been under police investigation for alleged drug use since early this year, with a Yonhap report saying he was suspected of taking drugs with a female bar employee.
Lee claimed that he had taken substances given to him by the hostess but said he did not know that they were illicit drugs.
Yonhap added that the hostess had reportedly told the police that he used drugs at her home multiple times – something he has denied. He had earlier requested through his lawyer to take a lie detector test.
His drug tests had returned negative or inconclusive results, the report added.
There has been extensive interest around the investigation, which caused considerable damage to Lee’s reputation. He was dropped from No Way Out, a mystery TV series that began shooting in October, amid the allegations.
The actor, who was married to and had two kids with actress Jeon Hye-jin, had an acting career spanning more than two decades.
He starred as the lead in dozens of films and TV shows, becoming a household name through the 2010s.
He rose to international fame as Park Dong-ik in Parasite, the father in the wealthy Park family which was later infiltrated by members of a poor family family posing as unrelated individuals.
The film swept four awards at the Oscars in 2020, including best picture – becoming the first non-English language film to win the prize.
Drug offences, including those involving usage of marijuana, are considered serious crime in South Korea. Consumption of marijuana carries prison sentences of up to five years.
By BBC News
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