Lee Sun-kyun (Lee Sun-kyun), born on March 2, 1975, in Seoul and died on December 27, 2023, in the same city, was a South Korean actor, best known for his roles in Coffee Prince, My Mister and the Oscar-winning film Parasite.
A graduate of the Korean National University of Arts with a degree in theater arts, he began his career in the early 2000s, working in film, theater, and television. He gained recognition in the series Behind the White Tower and Coffee Prince (2007), in which he plays Choi Han-sung, a warm-hearted music producer.
He reaffirms his popularity with the series Pasta (2010), in which he plays a demanding head chef, Golden Time (2012) and Miss Korea (2013). At the same time, he has collaborated regularly with director Hong Sang-soo, notably in Night and Day (2008), Oki's Loves (2010), Haewon and the Men and Sunhi (2013).
In film, he has distinguished himself in Helpless and All About My Wife (2012), and then in the crime thriller A Hard Day (2014), in which he plays a detective involved in a criminal case.
In 2018, he delivered one of his most memorable performances in My Mister, playing Park Dong-hoon, a disillusioned engineer who develops a deeply human connection with a young woman played by IU.
His international fame reached its peak in 2019 thanks to Parasite by Bong Joon-ho, winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes and the Oscar for Best Picture, in which he plays Park Dong-ik, the father of a wealthy family.
He continues by saying Dr. Brain (2021), Kingmaker (2022) and Payback (2023). His most recent performances include Killing Romance and the horror thriller Sleep (2023).
Married since 2009 to actress Jeon Hye-jin and the father of two sons, Lee Sun-kyun has been going through a particularly difficult time since October 2023, when he became the subject of an investigation into alleged drug use. Despite several negative drug tests and his statements denying the allegations, the case sparked a media scandal in South Korea. The actor faced intense public pressure, fueled by the disclosure of details from the investigation, revelations about his private life, and widespread speculation on social media. In particular, he withdrew from the series No Way Out.
On December 27, 2023, after three police interrogations—the last of which lasted nearly 19 hours—Lee Sun-kyun was found dead in his car in Seoul. His death, considered a suicide, occurred when he was 48 years old. His death sparked widespread emotion and reignited the debate on the stigmatization of celebrities, media harassment, and «cancel culture» in South Korea.
In January 2024, several prominent figures in the film industry, including Bong Joon-ho, condemned the handling of the case and called for an investigation into police leaks and violations of the actor’s privacy. His death thus became a symbol of the potential dangers of media exposure and public judgment, though it is impossible to attribute his actions to a single cause.
His last two films, Project Silence and The Land of Happiness, will be released posthumously in 2024.
