Arts·Commotion

Why South Korean artists formed a coalition in the wake of Lee Sun-kyun's death

Michelle Cho, Korean pop culture expert and Assistant Professor in the Department of East Asian Studies at Toronto Metropolitan University, explains why we should care about Lee Sun-kyun's death

Michelle Cho explains why South Korea's top artists are calling for a second look into his case

Sun-kyun Lee attends the 50th International Emmy Awards at New York Hilton Midtown on November 21, 2022 in New York City.
Sun-kyun Lee attends the 50th International Emmy Awards at New York Hilton Midtown on November 21, 2022 in New York City. ((Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images))

Over the holidays you might have come across the story that South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun was found dead in a car in Seoul.

It was believed that he took his own life. 

Lee was an actor on the rise both at home and abroad. He starred in Parasite, which won Best Picture at the 2020 Oscars. He was also in My Mister, Payback and Diary of a Prosecutor.

Now, a coalition of artists and filmmakers, including Parasite director Boon Joon-Ho, have come together in the wake of his passing to ask for more protections for artists.

Michelle Cho, who is a Korean pop culture expert and an Assistant Professor in the Department of East Asian Studies at Toronto Metropolitan University, explains why we should care about Lee Sun-kyun's death

LISTEN | Today's episode on YouTube:

You can listen to the full discussion from today's show on CBC Listen or on our podcast, Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud, available wherever you get your podcasts.


Interview produced by Amelia Eqbal