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South Korean authorities launched an inquiry into a leak related to the late Lee Sun-kyun's drug usage case, aiming to determine if there was a compromise of the late actor's inquiry records. After conducting a search, the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Investigation Unit seized items from the Incheon police agency and conducted a raid on the media outlet Dispatch for examination.
The investigation, prompted by worries about unlawful publishing, underlined actors' difficulties while under public scrutiny and the need to protect confidential information.
Yonhap News reported on January 23, 2024, that there are indications Dispatch disclosed comprehensive details about the Lee case, which is also under investigation. The focus is on determining whether the police provided the material.
TRIGGER WARNING: This article contains mention of suicide and drug usage.
Anti-corruption unit executes search and seizure warrant against Incheon Metropolitan Police and Dispatch for Lee Sun-kyun death case
The drug crimes investigation unit of the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency was investigating the late Parasite actor's case. On Tuesday, anti-corruption law enforcement from the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency declared that they had carried out a warrant for a search and seizure of the unit's office the day before.
According to Yonhap News reports, the police confiscated the officers' mobile devices and documents pertaining to the probe of drug-related crimes involving celebrities and staff members of a Gangnam nightclub.
The nearby Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency was given permission to look into the information leaked by the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency on January 15, 2024. This was done because conducting the inquiry themselves raised questions about the impartiality of the Incheon agency, which had been overseeing Lee Sun-kyun's case.
Additionally, Dispatch, an entertainment news-focused media outlet, has been the target of a search and seizure. The "October 18 Incheon Investigation Progress Report" document was featured in an exclusive story that the publication had previously released in December 2023.
Written shortly before a Seoul-Incheon media site first reported the probe, this dossier described the backgrounds, vocations, and criminal records of all the investigated people, including Lee Sun-kyun and G-Dragon.
The structure and the comprehensive substance of the report's contents raised the possibility that it was a police breach, even though it was not established at that point whether the file was an authentic police report. To ascertain if there had been an information leak, the Gyeonggi police have been investigating documents and files taken from the Incheon agency and the relevant media outlet, Dispatch.
On October 19, 2023, the Seoul-Incheon-based media site Dispatch published initial information about Lee Sun-kyun's alleged drug abuse case. This was followed by many stories indicating that Lee Sun-kyun was the focus of an inquiry by the police.
Then, on the morning of December 27, 2023, Lee Sun-kyun was found dead in his parked vehicle in Seoul's Jongno District, next to Waryong Park, only four days after he was called in for interrogation for the third time. The actor had tested clean for drugs three times, which comprises a quick drug test, and the results were all negative. He was interrogated by the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency for 19 hours, against human rights laws.
Human rights regulations provide that no police investigation may take place between 9 pm and 6 am, but the Incheon police asserted that the actor permitted an overnight investigation. This further raised questions about the police authority's misuse of power during Lee Sun-kyun's case.
On January 12, 2024, film director Bong Joon-ho, along with other artists and filmmakers, released a statement in response to Lee's passing due to s*icide, urging a comprehensive inquiry into the circumstances behind the information leak related to Lee Sun-kyun's probe.
Previously, along with BIGBANG star G-Dragon, Lee Sun-kyun had been the focus of a local police probe into drug-related allegations since October 2023. Yonhap News reported earlier that he was questioned regarding his consumption of marijuana and other illegal drugs. Lee had stated during his investigation on many occasions that he had been tricked and blackmailed into doing drugs.
Later, two women, Kim Nam-hee and Park Soo-jeong were prosecuted for blackmailing the late actor and extorting over 350 million KRW from him. Both the accused have a history of several criminal offences and are currently awaiting trial.
