(Seoul) Actor Lee Sun-kyun of the Oscar-winning film Parasite has died, South Korea’s emergency office announced Wednesday (local time).
Mr. Lee was found dead in a car in a park in central Seoul on Wednesday, he said.
Police earlier said Mr. Lee was found unconscious at an unidentified location in Seoul.
South Korean media, including the Yonhap News Agency, reported that police were searching for Mr. Lee after his family reported that he left his home after writing a message similar to a suicide note earlier on Wednesday .
Yonhap reported that a man was found unconscious in a Seoul park and that police identified him as Mr. Lee. The news agency said Mr Lee was later confirmed dead. Yonhap said a charcoal briquette was found in the passenger seat of the car.
Mr. Lee was best known for his role in Parasite, in which he played the father of a wealthy family. In 2021, he won a Screen Actors Guild Award for his role in the same film, as Best Actor in a Motion Picture.
He was nominated for Best Actor at the International Emmy Awards for his performance in the sci-fi thriller Dr. Neuro last year.
Mr. Lee was a familiar figure on Korean screens for decades before his overseas fame in Parasite. He rose to fame for his role in the popular drama series Coffee Prince (2007) and gained popularity with the medical drama Behind The White Tower, followed by Pasta (2010) and My Mister (2018).