Lee Sun-kyun, the actor who shot to international fame as the patriarch of the wealthy Park family in Bong Joon-ho's lauded 2019 black comedy Parasite, was found dead on Wednesday. According to police in the South Korean capital of Seoul, the cause of death is believed to be suicide. He was 48.

According to officials who spoke with Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency, over the course of 2023, Lee had been questioned by police three times “on suspicions of using marijuana and other illegal drugs.” Drug laws in South Korea are some of the strictest in the world: as noted by the Seoul Law Group, drugs of any kind—including cannabis—are illegal, and Korean citizens are even prohibited from using drugs when in nations with more permissive laws. Sentences for those convicted of drug use can range from six months to over a decade.

Lee had repeatedly denied the allegations, and claimed that he had been tricked by a hostess at a high-end Gangnam district bar into consuming the illegal substances as part of a blackmail plot against him. He filed suit against his alleged blackmailer, CNN reports, but continued to be questioned. On December 23, he was held by police for 19 hours. In a press conference earlier this week, Lee said, “I ask that the police make a good judgment about whose side’s statements are credible between me and the blackmailers;" on December 26, he asked police (through his lawyers) to allow him to take a polygraph test to confirm his innocence.

According to Yonhap, Lee's results were negative during every drug test administered by officials during the probe.

Lee studied drama at the Korea National University of Arts, and began his Korean TV career in 2007. A film career—which included features on the international festival circuit—followed, and drew global attention with the success of award wining social commentary Parasite. In 2021, Lee was named the lead in Apple TV+’s first Korean-language original series, Dr. Brain.

According to South Korea's National Police Agency, over 17,000 people have been arrested this year following South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's vow to “mobilize all capabilities of the entire government to achieve victory” in the country's war on drugs. In this ramp-up of enforcement, celebrities including Hellbound actor Yoo Ah-in and K-pop singer G-Dragon have faced allegations. 

In a statement, Lee's representatives, Hodu & U Entertainment, wrote that “Actor Lee Sun-kyun passed away today. There is no way to contain the sorrow and devastated feelings.”

“Please refrain from spreading false information based on speculation or assumption,” his representatives wrote, but declined further comment.

Lee is survived by wife Jeon Hye-jin, who is also an actor, and their two sons.

If you need emotional support or are in crisis, call the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.