Oscar-winning “Parasite” director Bong Joon-ho and other South Korean stars on Friday called for an investigation into the behavior of police and media in the days before the death of the actor Lee Sun-kyun.
“We urge the authorities to conduct a thorough investigation to determine whether there were any security lapses in the police investigation,” Bong said Friday at a news conference attended by southern filmmakers. -Koreans and industry figures. He added that authorities needed to examine “whether unauthorized disclosures” came from police officials involved in the investigation who communicated inappropriately with the media. Bong Joon-ho was reading a statement signed by around 30 organizations in South Korea’s entertainment industry, including film festivals, actors’ unions and the local screenwriters’ guild.
Famous around the world for his role in Parasite, Lee Sun-kyun, 48, was found dead in a car in Seoul last month while he was under investigation by authorities in October, for suspected consumption of cannabis and other psychotropic drugs. Following his death, police were suspected of being behind the leak of confidential documents, triggering frenzied media coverage and a wave of damaging content on social media.
Once praised for his healthy image, Lee Sun-kyun saw his reputation tarnished by the investigation targeting him when it was made public. In a country that is very strict on this matter, this scandal deprived him of advertising contracts and appearances on television and in the cinema, for a shortfall estimated at ten billion won (7 million euros) by the press. South Korean.
Bong Joon-ho and others called for stronger legislation to better protect artists and entertainment professionals, and urged the media to behave better in the future. They particularly singled out the South Korean national channel KBS for its coverage of the affair. In November, KBS released audio recordings purporting to be Lee Sun-kyun’s private phone conversations.
