Star of Oscar-winning movie Parasite found dead in park

Actor Lee Sun-kyun (Son Hyun-kyu/Yonhap/AP)

Actor Lee Sun-kyun, star of the Oscar-winning movie Parasite has died, South Korea’s emergency office has said.

He was found dead at a car in a central Seoul park on Wednesday, it said, after police reported the actor had been found unconscious.

Members of the Korea Crime Scene Investigation team investigate the scene where South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun was found unconscious in Seoul (Seo Dae-youn/Yonhap/AP)

South Korean media outlets reported that police had been searching for Mr Lee, who was 48, after his family reported he had left home after writing a message similar to a suicide note.

Mr Lee won a Screen Actors Guild award for cast in a motion picture in 2020 for Parasite, in which he played the head of a wealthy family.

He was nominated for the best actor at the International Emmy Awards for his performance in the sci-fi thriller Dr Brain in 2022.

Lee was a familiar figure on Korean screens for decades before his Parasite fame abroad, becoming well known in the drama series Coffee Prince in 2007 and gained mainstream popularity with the medical drama Behind The White Tower.