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Everything you need to know about Parasite actor Lee Sun-Kyun’s family after emotional funeral

The Parasite actor was found dead in his car

Bryony Gooch
US Writer
December 29, 2023
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Friends and family of Lee Sun-Kyun paid an emotional farewell to the actor, 48, best-known for his role in the award-winning film Parasite. His wife Jeon Hye-jin was reportedly in tears during the funeral ceremony and the procession, as she said goodbye to her husband of 14 years.

Sun-Kyun was found dead in his car in Seoul on December 27 in what's being reported as an apparent suicide. Up to the time of his death, the actor was undergoing a drugs investigation, which had led to him being dropped for advertisements and productions underway. 

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - DECEMBER 29: (SOUTH KOREA OUT)  People carry the coffin containing the body of actor Lee Sun-kyun during the funeral at the hospital on December 29, 2023 in Seoul, South Korea. South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun, best known for his role in the Oscar-winning film Parasite, has been found dead in an apparent suicide in central Seoul. (Photo by Korea Pool/Getty Images)© Pool
Scenes from the procession

The actor had been a household name long before he became an international superstar in Parasite, with a 20 year long career in film.

Not only will Sun-Kyun leave behind him a long legacy as an actor, which has won him adoring fans globally, but his wife and two children. Here's everything you need to know about his family.

Who was Lee Sun-Kyun?

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - OCTOBER 07: Actor Lee Sun Kyun receives the award for "Excellent Achievement in Film" during the introduction of the "Killing Romance" Midwest Premiere at AMC New City 14 on October 07, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Barry Brecheisen/Getty Images)© Barry Brecheisen
Lee Sun-Kyun was a household name

One of South Korea's most beloved actors, Lee Sun-Kyun was on screens for over 20 years. 

When he took the lead role in the film Paju, Sun-Kyn won the Best Actor award at the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival. 

He went on to really make a household name for himself in 2012, when he met critical acclaim in mystery thriller Helpless and rom-com All About My Wife. While he made a name for himself in South Korea's blockbusters, the actor had a love for arthouse films - which is how he cut his teeth as an actor - and he continued to collaborate with director Hong Sang-soo throughout his career.

Having achieved recognition in South Korea as a brilliant leading man, Lee Sun-Kyun caught international attention for the second time since Paju when Parasite won four Academy Awards in 2020.

WATCH: Star of Oscar-winning movie Parasite found dead

Who was his wife?

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - JULY 27: South Korean actress Jeon Hye-Jin attends the 'HUNT' press screening at COEX Mega Box on July 27, 2022 in Seoul, South Korea. The film will open on August 10, in South Korea. (Photo by Han Myung-Gu/WireImage)© Han Myung-Gu
Jeon Hye-Jin was a well respected actress within her own right

Lee Sun-Kyun married Jeon Hye-jin in 2009, after seven years of dating. Like Sun-Kyun, Jeon Hye-jin, 47, was a well-known actress in South Korea.

As well as being a former contestant in the 1997 Miss Korea pageant, representing Gyeongnam, Hye-jin won a Blue Dragon Film Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2015 for her role in The Throne - an award for excellence in cinematic achievements in South Korea.

How many kids did he have?

CANNES, FRANCE - MAY 22: Lee Sun-gyun attends the photocall for "Parasite" during the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival on May 22, 2019 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)© Pascal Le Segretain
Lee Sun-Kyun had two sons

Lee Sun-Kyun shared two sons with his wife. Their first son was born in 2009, making him 14 years old, and his second son was born in 2011, which means he is 12 years old.

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