A tip-off about illegal drug use led Korea’s Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency to begin a formal investigation against eight individuals on charges of violating Korea’s Drugs Control Act. After launching the investigation the police released the following statement: “While investigating drug-related activities primarily within entertainment establishments in Gangnam, we obtained information that a celebrity is involved in drug use. We are currently conducting an internal investigation involving eight individuals including L, a male actor in his 40s.”
That actor currently being questioned is Lee Sun-kyun, 48, and the police have requested a hair sample to determine whether the actor smoked marijuana. Recreational cannabis use is illegal in South Korea, with violations punishable by up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 50 million won, about $42,556. Lee is alleged to have used illicit substances at escort bars and in residential areas. Given Korea’s highly conservative attitude toward drug use, even allegations of drug use can potentially derail his career.
It’s not uncommon for Korean actors involved in investigations to be dropped from projects and Lee has already dropped out of the project he recently started working on. Lee, who won a Screen Actor’s Guild Award for his role in the film Parasite and who starred in a popular Korean TV drama My Mister, will no longer play a role in the upcoming drama No Way Out. Lee was expected to play a detective in No Way Out and the production company is currently seeking a replacement. He was also cast in the upcoming second season of the Apple
The actor has worked consistently since the start of his 20-year career, appearing in a succession of films and TV dramas. Lee starred in the box office hit Sleep this summer, a film about a man whose nocturnal behavior begins to worry his pregnant wife. He also appeared in Killing Romance, a dark comedy in which he played a rich bully. He has a major role in the yet-to-be released disaster film Project Silence, as well as in the film Land of Happiness. The release of both films may be delayed.
The actor and his wife, actress Jeon Hye-jin, were both featured in current SK Telecom and SK Broadband ads, but the companies have already erased their faces in these ads.
Also being questioned in the drug investigation is former idol trainee Han Seo-hee, who was involved in a 2017 cannabis scandal with k-pop star T.O.P, and Hwang Ha-na, granddaughter of the founder of a major corporation and ex-fiancee of Park Yoo-chun. Other names have not yet been revealed. Lee has already stated that he does not know some of the people involved in the investigation.
Talking to Yonhap News Agency, Lee’s lawyer said that the actor will cooperate with the police. The actor’s management agency, HODU&U reported that the actor filed a blackmail complaint against another person involved in the drug case. He said the blackmailer had extorted hundreds of thousands of dollars from him.
The agency stated: “Our company is currently in the process of verifying the specific facts related to the allegations raised against Lee Sun-kyun. We are committed to cooperating fully with any investigations conducted by relevant authorities with utmost sincerity and honesty in the future. Additionally, Lee Sun-kyun has filed a complaint with the law enforcement agency against individual A, who is connected to the incident, for continuous blackmail and threats.”
A report from the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency stated, that the amount Lee paid to the blackmailer is around 300 million won (about $221,900).
It’s uncertain how long the investigation will take, but for now Lee is not expected to undertake any new acting projects.
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2023-10-23 16:55:20Z
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