Death of ‘Parasite’ star puts spotlight on pressures facing South Korean celebrities

Seoul, South Korea CNN —

Actor Lee Sun-kyun’s sudden death this week is the latest in a string of shock celebrity losses in South Korea, a country with one of the world’s highest suicide rates and where public figures are often expected to be paragons.

Lee, who received acclaim for his role as Park Dong-ik, the father of the wealthy Park family in the Academy Award-winning “Parasite,” was found dead in his car on Wednesday morning in what police said was a suspected suicide. His funeral was expected to be held later on Friday.

At the time of his death the 48-year-old father of two was being investigated by police over allegations of illegal drug use and had recently been through multiple rounds of lengthy questioning.

One of Lee’s lawyers told CNN this week that the actor felt “aggrieved” about the way police were handling the drug investigation, including how details turned up in local media.

Lee’s death comes as South Korea has seen a spate of suspected suicides among its celebrities in recent years, especially young K-pop stars.

Each time these deaths have reignited conversations about the mental well-being of South Korean celebrities and public figures, casting a spotlight on the pressures they face in the competitive and stressful Korean entertainment industry and the pitfalls for those deemed to have made transgressions.

A portrait of Kim Jong-hyun, better known by the stage name Jonghyun, seen at makeshift shrine in Seoul, December 19, 2017

In December 2017, superstar Kim Jong-hyun, better known as Jonghyun, took his own life at the age of 27. Two years later K-pop singer Sulli, formerly of the band f(x), was found dead at her home at the age of 25 in an apparent suicide.

Around six weeks later, fellow