Family and friends of Parasite star Lee Sun-kyun bid him a final farewell at his funeral this week.
The actor was laid to rest at the funeral hall in Seoul National University Hospital in South Korea, surrounded by his heartbroken family and co-stars.
The actor’s wife Jeon Hye-jin and their two sons appeared devastated as they wept beside his coffin.
The funeral of Lee Sun Kyun: Heartbreaking images of his wife sobbing next to the coffin, and his son choking back tears while embracing his father’s portrait.
“At exactly 12:00 PM local time today, December 29th, the funeral procession for the late actor Lee Sun Kyun took place… pic.twitter.com/cPiGW1w5FE— Mr NQV (@KidNqv) December 29, 2023
The former Miss Korea contestant was the one who alerted police after finding what appeared to be a suicide note at their home.
The 48-year-old was identified by Seoul Police after a man in his 40s was found unconscious in a car park at 10.30am on 27 December.
The actor will be cremated and his remains held at Memorial Park in Gwangju, 32 kilometers southeast of Seoul.
Lee shared two sons with his wife Jeon, who represented Gyeongham as a contestant in the 1997 Miss Korea pageant.
The couple were wed in 2009 and have been married since.
Leading up to his death, the actor was embroiled in a police investigation regarding the usage of drugs.
A hostess at a high-end bar claimed that the actor took marijuana and ketamine at her home in October.
News of the ongoing investigation regarding his drug abuse became public in late October, and the Parasite star was dropped from several major projects.
One project he was dropped from was No Way Out, a new mystery thriller TV show which began shooting in October.
Local media reported that the actor was fired from the show after police contacted the production company for a sample of his hair to drug test.
The producers of the show notified all cast and crew members working on the show that filming would be postponed for a fortnight to replace his character.
Lee’s three appearances at the police station for questioning made huge headlines, and at his final session on December 23rd his lawyer asked for any further questioning to be held in private.
The 48-year-old insisted he did not take any illegal drugs on purpose and passed the toxicology test, he also requested a lie detector test to confirm it was him telling the truth and not the hostess.
The actor claimed the hostess, who has remained unnamed in the media, was trying to blackmail him by filing a criminal case, which fans have agreed with.
One user took to X after his death and said: “LEE SUN KYUN WAS BLACKMAILED and tricked into taking drugs but the police and korean media vilified him until he took his life. The headlines I saw yesterday were disgusting and the police should not have released anything until he was convicted of a crime!! may he rest in peace.”
LEE SUN KYUN WAS BLACKMAILED and tricked into taking drugs but the police and korean media vilified him until he took his life. The headlines I saw yesterday were disgusting and the police should not have released anything until he was convicted of a crime!! may he rest in peace https://t.co/EGrDda9vz4
— miya⁴⁴ ʕ”̮ॽु 🫧☘️ (@binsprins) December 27, 2023
In his first questioning on October 28th at the Nonhyeon Police Station in Incheon he said: “I would like to sincerely apologize once again for causing so many people concerns, I will answer all questions truthfully.”
“‘A’ tricked me into doing drugs. I did not know that what she handed me were illegal drugs.”
South Korea has very strict laws regarding drug usage and those who buy or sell marijuana can face a minimum of one year in prison, whilst those who use it can face up to five years in prison or a fine of over €30k.
