Actor Lee Sun-kyun of Oscar-winning film ‘Parasite’ dies

Actor Lee Sun-kyun of the Oscar-winning movie “Parasite” was found unconscious and later confirmed dead, South Korean police said. Photo / AP

Actor Lee Sun-kyun of the Oscar-winning movie Parasite has died, South Korea’s emergency office said on Wednesday.

Lee was found dead in a car in a central Seoul park on Wednesday, it said.

Police earlier said an unconscious Lee was discovered at an unidentified Seoul location.

South Korean media outlets including Yonhap news agency reported that police had been searching for Lee after his family reported he left home after writing a message similar to a suicide note earlier on Wednesday.

Yonhap said a man was later found unconscious at the Seoul park and that police identified him as Lee. Yonhap said Lee was later confirmed dead.

Lee was best known for his role in Parasite, in which he played the head of a wealthy family. In 2021, he won a Screen Actors Guild award for “cast in a motion picture” for his role in the same film.

He was nominated for the best actor at the International Emmy Awards for his performance in the sci-fi thriller Dr. Brain last year.

Lee was a familiar figure on Korean screens for decades before his Parasite fame abroad. He became well-known for his role in a popular drama series, Coffee Prince (2007), and gained mainstream popularity with the medical drama Behind The White Tower, followed by Pasta (2010) and My Mister (2018).