‘Parasite’ Actor’s Death Prompts Criticism of Police, Media

 Mourners carrying a coffin and portrait of South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun leave after his funeral in Seoul, South Korea, December 29, 2023. (Reuters)
Mourners carrying a coffin and portrait of South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun leave after his funeral in Seoul, South Korea, December 29, 2023. (Reuters)
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‘Parasite’ Actor’s Death Prompts Criticism of Police, Media

 Mourners carrying a coffin and portrait of South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun leave after his funeral in Seoul, South Korea, December 29, 2023. (Reuters)
Mourners carrying a coffin and portrait of South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun leave after his funeral in Seoul, South Korea, December 29, 2023. (Reuters)

As late South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun's family and friends gather to mourn his death, public criticism of police and media conduct during his investigation for suspected drug use is growing.

Lee, best known globally for his starring role in the Oscar-winning film "Parasite", was found dead inside a car in Seoul this week, with media reporting he left a note "that reads like a will".

Lee's reputation had suffered a significant blow when South Korean authorities launched an investigation into his alleged drug use in October.

The celebrity was dropped from television, film and commercial projects, incurring damages media reports estimated at up to 10 billion won ($7.8 million).

Police were accused of leaking confidential investigation details to the press, fanning malicious coverage and fueling the spread of unverified content online.

Lee's death has prompted public criticism of the media and police, who questioned him for 19 hours a few days before his death.

"There was no need to name the suspect in the investigation", Vladimir Tikhonov, professor of Korea studies at the University of Oslo, told AFP.

"In South Korea -- to a much larger degree than in any European country with higher degrees of tolerance for the use of psychotropic stuffs -- being named as a suspect in a drug investigation is a punishment per se, by social ostracism."

Yu Hyun-jae, a communications professor at Sogang University, told a local broadcaster that Lee's case can be considered a "social murder", with the media, police, and the public sharing responsibility.

Incheon Metropolitan Police chief Kim Hui-jung defended the "entire investigation process", which he said was conducted "in compliance with legal procedures".

"There was no leakage (to media) of investigation details as raised by some," he told reporters Thursday.

South Korea has tough laws on illegal drugs, with President Yoon Suk Yeol declaring a "war on drugs" after taking office last year.

Grief and goodbyes

A private ceremony for the actor was held at the Seoul National University Hospital on Friday, after which his body was taken to a crematorium.

The ceremony was attended by his wife and fellow actor Jeon Hye-jin, his two sons, and many of the actor's colleagues, including Gong Hyo-jin, Ryu Seung-ryong and Lee Sung-min.

"Parasite" director Bong Joon-ho and co-stars Park So-dam and Park Myung-hoon visited the funeral home on Thursday, as did acclaimed auteur Park Chan-wook and actors Jung Woo-sung and Lee Jung-jae.

Grieving fans stuck handwritten notes to the front of the hospital.

One wrote: "Thank you for being Lee Sun-kyun.

"The works you have created with your efforts and sincerity have saved countless people."

"We're sorry we couldn't do anything for you when you were having a hard time," the note said.

A series of entertainment industry events in South Korea were cancelled so that people could pay condolences to the late actor.

Gangnam in focus

Seoul's Gangnam district -- known for expensive apartments, high-end bars, clubs and a cluster of plastic surgery clinics -- has been at the center of a series of high-profile drug scandals.

Lee had been suspected of using illicit drugs at the residence of a hostess employed at a high-end bar in the glamorous district.

The late actor had denied knowingly taking the drugs, saying he was "tricked" into doing so by the hostess, against whom he had filed a complaint for blackmail and extortion, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency.

Lee had tested negative for drugs twice, once during police investigations and again in a lab last month, Yonhap reported.

Police said Friday they had transferred a plastic surgeon, who operates a clinic in Gangnam, to the prosecution for the alleged illegal supply of drugs to the bar hostess.

Among the drugs that Lee allegedly took was ketamine, which was involved in a 2018 date-rape scandal at Gangnam's Burning Sun nightclub, then run by the now-disgraced and convicted K-pop star Seungri.

This year, a man was sentenced to life in prison for orchestrating a kidnapping and murder that involved ketamine also illicitly obtained from a plastic surgery clinic in Gangnam.



Tom Cruise Pays Tribute to Val Kilmer

Tom Cruise led a moment of silence in honor of Val Kilmer at CinemaCon, the official convention of theater owners in the United States. Ethan Miller / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
Tom Cruise led a moment of silence in honor of Val Kilmer at CinemaCon, the official convention of theater owners in the United States. Ethan Miller / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
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Tom Cruise Pays Tribute to Val Kilmer

Tom Cruise led a moment of silence in honor of Val Kilmer at CinemaCon, the official convention of theater owners in the United States. Ethan Miller / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
Tom Cruise led a moment of silence in honor of Val Kilmer at CinemaCon, the official convention of theater owners in the United States. Ethan Miller / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP

Tom Cruise paid tribute to late "Top Gun" co-star Val Kilmer on Thursday, leading movie theater owners in a moment's silence at the CinemaCon event before unveiling new footage from his latest "Mission: Impossible" movie.

"I'd like to honor a dear friend of mine, Val Kilmer," said Cruise, at the start of his hotly anticipated appearance at the annual industry summit in Las Vegas.

"I really can't tell you how much I admired his work, how much I thought of him as a human being, and how grateful and honored I was when he joined 'Top Gun' and then came back for 'Top Gun: Maverick," said Cruise.

Kilmer, one of the biggest Hollywood actors of the 1990s, who shot to fame playing Iceman in the original 1986 "Top Gun", died aged 65, his family announced this week.

The cause of death was pneumonia. Kilmer had battled throat cancer after being diagnosed in 2014, and made his final appearance in the "Top Gun" 2022 sequel "Maverick," physically diminished and with a raspy voice.

Cruise on Thursday led the audience at Caesars Palace casino in a lengthy silence, asking attendees to "take a moment and just think about all the wonderful times that we had" watching Kilmer on the big screen.

"I wish you well on your next journey," said Cruise, to Kilmer.

He added to the attendees: "Thank you all for doing that. I know he appreciates it."

"Top Gun" was Kilmer's breakout role. Starring opposite Cruise, he played the cocky, square-jawed and mostly silent fighter pilot in training Tom "Iceman" Kazansky.

When he reprised his role as "Iceman" in the long-awaited sequel "Top Gun: Maverick," Kilmer's real-life health issues were written into the character.

Cruise on Thursday also introduced a new trailer for "Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning," out May 23.

Footage shows Cruise's ageless hero Ethan Hunt clinging to the wheels of a small biplane as it soars down a narrow canyon and barrel rolls through the skies.

The trailer contained extensive flashbacks to famous scenes from earlier in the eight-film blockbuster franchise, such as Cruise dangling between lasers and climbing the Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai.

"I need you to trust me one last time," says Cruise's character, in what Paramount is marketing as supposedly the final movie of the franchise.