Police rejected late actor Lee's request for low-key appearance for questioning
Late actor Lee Sun-kyun arrives at an office of the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency in Incheon, about 30 kilometers west of Seoul, for the third round of questioning on suspicions of drug use, Dec. 23. Yonhap
Late actor Lee Sun-kyun, known for his role in the Oscar-winning film "Parasite," had requested that his last appearance for questioning not be open to the press, but police rejected the request, officials said Thursday.
The 48-year-old Lee was found dead in his car near Waryong Park in central Seoul the previous day in an apparent suicide, four days after he appeared before police for questioning for the third time over drug suspicions.
Lee was under suspicions of using marijuana and other illegal drugs at the home of a hostess working at a high-end bar in Seoul's Gangnam district on multiple occasions since early this year. But he claimed he was tricked by the hostess into taking the drugs and that he did not know what he was taking.
Ahead of the latest questioning Saturday, Lee had officially requested through his lawyer that his appearance not be open to the press, but police rejected the request, according to police officials and legal sources.
The press affairs guidelines of police prohibit the exposure of individuals under investigation to photographing or filming during both the investigative process and their appearance for questioning. But the rule has often been breached.
During all three rounds of Lee's police appearances, including the first on Oct. 28, Lee stood on the press photo line, drawing intense media coverage.
The day before Lee was found dead, his lawyer expressed hopes on Lee's behalf that any further appearance should be made behind closed doors, as the actor was feeling "burdened" by having his appearances before police open to the public.
The Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency, responsible for the investigation, acknowledged receiving the request but denied informing the press of the questioning schedule on its own.
"It's correct that bringing people behind closed doors conforms to the principles," an official at the police agency said. "There was never an incident in which police released the schedule of Lee's questioning first."
Kim Hui-jung, chief of the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency, offered condolences over Lee's death but said the investigation of him was conducted according to lawful procedures based on specific tip-offs and evidence.
Kim said the first round of questioning did not go in earnest as Lee said he would speak in the next questioning. After the second round of questioning, police secured additional evidence and questioned him for the third time, he said.
During the third questioning, Lee's lawyer asked that questioning also take place over a separate blackmailing complaint that Lee filed against the hostess, and the session lasted longer than expected because police tried to fully hear him out.
Lee was last seen in public when he returned home early Sunday morning following 19 hours of questioning.
Meanwhile, Yoon Hee-keun, the commissioner general of the National Police Agency (NPA), also denied the claim that unreasonable police investigations led to Lee's death but said he would look into investigation practices and correct problems if any. (Yonhap)