"Life is cruel," says 'Squid Game' supporting actor Lee Sang Hee about his son’s tragic death

Squid Game’s supporting actor, Lee Sang Hee, recently opened up about his son’s tragic death on Recent Olympics, a YouTube channel.

Lee Sang Hee first discussed working on Squid Game. The actor played the glass factory worker who helped the leads cross the glass stepping game with his experience. He then revealed he appeared on SBS’ Unanswered Questions in 2016 to disclose his son’s tragic death in the US.

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Squid Game’s supporting actor Lee Sang Hee opens up about his son’s untimely death

Screenshot of Lee Sang Hee's family from SBS' 'Unanswered Questions' (Image via YouTube/Recent Olympics)

More than a decade has passed since Lee Sang Hee’s son’s demise in Los Angeles. In 2016, the actor appeared on SBS’ Unanswered Questions, a show that seeks to find the truth behind controversial or unsolved cases.

In the show, Lee Sang Hee shared that his 19-year-old son passed away tragically in 2010 while studying in Los Angeles. He was punched in the head by another classmate at the school’s gym and was declared brain dead at the hospital. He passed away two days later.

The actor filed a lawsuit and the classmate was arrested for murder. The case was closed without any arrest or punishment as the LA police stated the classmate had acted out of self-defense, claiming Lee Sang Hee’s son started the fight.

Lee Sang Hee on SBS' 'Unanswered Questions' in 2016 (Image via Chosun/YouTube Recent Olympics)

Three years later, as his son’s body arrived in South Korea for burial, Lee Sang Hee’s family requested a re-investigation and an autopsy to reveal the real reason behind his son’s death. They were certain the LA police were trying to destroy evidence, as a local hospital wanted them to donate the son’s nerves and bones.

As Chosun reports, the autopsy played a vital role in the lawsuit.

The autopsy report revealed that Lee Sang Hee’s son died of a heart attack from the cerebral hemorrhage that occurred as a result of a physical attack. The LA Police Department had changed the cause of death to brain hemorrhage.

The court then ruled there was a significant and direct connection between the classmate’s attack and Lee Sang Hee’s son’s death. It then sentenced the classmate to three years in prison.

Lee Sang Hee's son (Image via YouTube/Recent Olympics)

During the YouTube channel’s interview, Lee Sang Hee said:

“Life is cruel. I want to meet my son. Sometimes, I hear his voice saying, 'Dad, let's grab a drink. You need to know this as an actor.' I feel that he sometimes nags me like that."

Lee Sang Hee said that he would build an acting school in Songdo, Incheon, if he won 45.6 billion KRW. It would be for the less-privileged actors like himself, “who have no education or no connection.”

Watch the full interview below:

Meanwhile, Squid Game is available to stream on Netflix.