Parasite actor Lee Sun-kyun found dead age 48

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

He was found dead at a car in a central Seoul park on Wednesday, December 27 it said, after police reported the actor had been found unconscious. South Korean media outlets reported that police had been searching for Mr Lee, who was 48.

His family reported he had left home after writing a note. The circumstances surrounding his death have not yet been confirmed.

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Mr Lee starred as wealthy father Park Dong-ik in Parasite, the head of a family whose lives are turned upside down by members of a poor family who infiltrate their household. The film won four awards at the 2020 Academy Awards, including best picture. It became the first non-English language film to win the prize.

Mr Lee also won a Screen Actors Guild award for cast in a motion picture in 2020 for Parasite. He was nominated for the best actor at the International Emmy Awards for his performance in the sci-fi thriller Dr Brain in 2022.

He rose to stardom for his role in a hit TV drama series, Coffee Prince (2007), and gained mainstream popularity with the medical drama Behind The White Tower (2007), Pasta (2010) and My Mister (2018).

Mr Lee had undergone police probes into allegations that he used illegal drugs at the residence of a bar hostess. Mr Lee filed a suit against two people including the hostess, alleging they blackmailed him.

The investigation prompted extensive tabloid coverage. Mr Lee insisted he was tricked into