Actor Lee Sun-kyun of the Oscar-winning film "Parasite" was found dead in an apparent suicide Wednesday amid an investigation into suspected drug use.
Police found a man in his 40s unconscious in a car near Waryong Park in central Seoul at 10:30 a.m. and later identified him as Lee.
Lee's manager had earlier reported to the police that the actor left home after writing a memo akin to a suicide note and that his car was gone.
The manager had visited Lee's home in Cheongdam-dong in southern Seoul as he was out of contact.
The police booked Lee as a suspect in late October in the drug investigation, which was prompted by a tipoff that drugs were being illegally circulated among bars in Gangnam.
Lee tested negative in both the brief reagent test conducted during police investigations and the lab-based drug test by the National Forensic Service last month.
The 48-year-old actor rose to global fame after "Parasite," in which he played a major role, won Academy Awards in 2020. »