K-actor Lee Seon Kyun committed suicide yesterday on December 28th and now more details are emerging. He left a suicide note to his wife actress Jeon Hye Jin, she found it and called the police immediately. The police found his car less than 30 mins later but he was already deceased inside with alcohol bottle and charcoal briquettes. His suicide note apologized to his wife and said this was the only one, he had no other choice. He also left a note to his agency that the CF and movie penalties after he was fired post scandal were simply too high. It was reportedly as high as $7,8 million USD all together. May be rest in peace now and I don’t know if in South Korea debtors can go after the estate because if it can then his death does not resolve these financial obligations outstanding.
He hasn’t been found guilty of any charges and his blood tests came back negative why he needed to pay for everything, for something that has yet been proven. He is like guilty until proven innocent. I feel sick. I am boycotting Kdrama/movies, who want to join me!
I don’t know why in Asia entertainment, people are not proven guilty first before taking action but they take action first before they proven guilty or innocent. It quite disturbing, the audiences should also know that these stars r human first,they get tempted, they fall short and make mistakes like all of us. At least they should find a way on how they will deal with issues like this than judging them and taking action when nothing is proven yet. 7.8 million USD compared to South Korea currency, that really huge amount,the most painful part is the love ones he left behind. I hope they will be able to find peace going forward.
He was fined by his CF & movies because in Asia there is a morality breach in the contract. He portrayed himself as a loving husband & father but his scandal (drug & cheating) go against this clause that’s why he is heavily fined. I’m not saying it’s ok but it’s legal. They should stop signing this clause tbh.
If celebrities don’t sign these clauses and they jeopardise production because of their irresponsible action, who’s going to pay those who have worked on the production? Why should investors lose money because of someone’s flagrant behaviour? Wilful misconduct and gross negligence are very typical clauses in any agreement, I don’t think it’s very different from the morality clause. The clause in its current market-accepted form may be too punitive and should be reformed but it doesn’t mean it should be removed entirely.
exactly this. i get that people are sad and want a scapegoat, but i feel like many people, including many commenters on this blog, are simplifying the situation as “The people on the internet are to blame, they’re so mean to him! 😡” when it’s clear that he unalived himself because he felt he had no way out of his financial obligations and also because he couldn’t face the public after his image as a great family man and husband got ruined… and we all know how extremely important reputation and clean image are in korea
@skye, “..how extremely important reputation and clean image are in Korea.” Not as important as one’s life !!! What else can one do if life is gone? In the West, we value life more than anything else since there’s always chance for stray birds to get back on the right track to their destination. The western culture is more forgiving and willing to give ppl 2nd chance. I don’t see that in Asian culture. Asian ppl are always more critical of others, quick to judge, but very lenient of themselves and their close ones or allies.
I am boycotting kdramas/movies as well, will finish what I am watching currently as I watch it with my sister but no new ones to honor this man. I am still in shock!!
Hi @ dear emchi, sad to meet you again in theses sad circumstances . I miss the times when we talked about dramas and Yoon Eun Hye . I’m still here, and i will continue to watch dramas because i just consider the work the same way i do with a piece of art . When i began to watch dramas 20 years ago i thought that K entertainment was wonderland,… but very soon i saw that it was like in others countries and that the koreans weren’t better than other people .After what they did to Yoon Eun Hye , i saw the hypocrisy . They turned their back on her , even her supposed friends . They just know how to hide the bad side of entertainment . It was like in the golden era of Hollywood when the big bosses used to treat their celebrities as slaves and pay to hide everything . Judy Garland , Natalie Wood ‘s addictions, Rock Hudson homosexuality, the extra marital affairs, just to name a very few ones . But i still watch the movies . I’m not fooled anymore and don’t believe either in what celebrities say in their interviews too ! I believe in acts of kindness not in beautyful words .Nobody show a kind gesture towards Lee Seon Kyun , and now they are mourning ! He is not the first one and not be the last one too !
Who is leaking contents of his letter to the press?
I’m not a journalist but even I knew the basic rules while reporting suicide news. Idk why the media carelessly include his method of suicide and the content of his suicide note.
Unless his wife released this, I think that this note is private and intended only for his family. This should not have been released to the public as respect for the deceased.
I feel sad that even in death, celebrities can’t take a break. There should be journalism or social media etiquette for situations like these.
Such a personal note…why is it released?
yuck I don’t feel sorry at all for people who support human trafficking
I think if he has a good lawyer tnr lawyer can defend that so called breach. More importantly the wife should now demand the police to release the result of investigation. If no further action, means they can’t go after his estate because he didn’t breach any. Now agency should make sure contracts should specify only in case of breach being determined by court. Anything less… no one can control gossips. Surely there’s such thing as void contract and unfair terms? If not korea needs an overhaul, because so backward.
The letter is personal and left to his wife. Why is it up for public consumption? Can he have no privacy even in death? Smh.
I live in the states and every major news outlet here is reporting on LSK’s death. This is the first time I’ve come across western media reporting on the death of a big actor from Korea. I don’t know why I feel a bit embarrassed even the West is taking notice on such a sensitive topic.
Yes, his death made the headlines of every major western news outlet from the London Times to the NY Times, all the TV news websites from CNN to the BBC. And they paid him the compliment of getting his name in the right order, surname first. It’s common to see western news sites invert the order of Korean names.
Because his talent is so well know here in the US, after Coffee Prince, many people got to know him, Gong Yoo and Yoon Eun Hye, and still follow them. This is heartbreaking for me, really. I cannot believe it. SKorea police believed a blackmailer as compared to someone that helped SKorea get its first Oscar, someone who had a lot more to give to the acting world!! To have him feel the need to do this after all his achievements is without any reason.
@emchi They didn’t report it because of Coffee Prince lol. Only the niche kdrama audience in the US would know that. It’s because of Parasite.
His breakout film, Parasite, was a huge hit here in the States and the film received several awards. K-ent is getting recognition and has become part of the trends here. Films like Squid Game and Parasite are well known in the States. Even my relative at his early 20s who has never been a fan of K-ent knows these two films. He works in the CGI industry.
I know that his films and all were very popular worldwide but I’m just surprised the West is reporting on this. That’s all.
Actually that’s an honor to a Korean actor since obviously the West treats him as an international star. Therefore his tragic death news-worthy. I only read neutral facts reporting the drug abuse investigation he was going through in the huge media such as NYT, BBC, Fox News, and other western press. Unlike S. Korean media and SM, there’s no speculation about what he had possibly done. The west media also paid tribute to the actor’s accomplishment.
In the US, ppl are assumed innocent before proven guilty. In Asia, it’s more like the opposite. The burden is on the accused’s shoulders to prove innocence. That’s why it’s so easy to manipulate public speech to launch cyberbully and harassment.
Yes, its an honor they are honoring him for his good work, not a good image for Korea that they basically drove someone to his death.
@tooktooktay, thanks to Kpop and Kdrama that are getting popular in the West and more ppl are fond of Korean culture cos of that. But TBH, S. Korean like many other Asian countries, have never had positive images in other elements essential to a civilized society that Western democracy values. S. Korea, although a democracy, has been ranking relatively low in democracy index compared with other Asian counterparts such as Taiwan and Japan. It’s not like SK image would get worse bcos of this tragedy to a superstar.
I have a perhaps unpopular opinion here. I do think the reasons why he took his own life should be noted and discussed by the public in this case. If S. Koreans are not taking his suicide seriously and treat it as water under the bridge gone with his death, then he won’t be the last one committing suicide for similar reasons. I wonder if his family (mainly his wife) disclosed his brief suicide notes on purpose and if she did, then she’s doing the right thing to call for public attention. It’s reported that he had incurred penalty fines estimated around $10 million USD thanks to the contract breach from all the cancellation of his commercial activities. $10 million USD in debt is a huge financial burden for most of the ppl in the world. LSK and his family aren’t Elon Musk!
Agree. Sweeping it under the carpet, does his death no justice. If anything, it serves to highlight globally what conditions they work under (including the Management Companies who control other stars/singers who have committed suicide. they are products, expected to perform, rake in $)
I said it in one of the threads last night – the way I see it, it’s NOT just the police/press/ongoing interrogation/guilt to family … it’s overall intense STRESS he has been under, since the whole Blackmailing started. As a person who has always been on top of his game, to get to this stage is very hard to take.
This includes FINANCIAL Stress. And now, to add to it, the cancelled endorsements for both him and his wife – to add the last straw.
Sending the 2 kids off suddenly to US arrangements, cannot be cheap either.
The whole package, the worry, the ongoing investigations is just but part of it.
( man confessing to cheating/an affair to his wife, is hard enough. Imagine how many more levels of intense challenges this entire sad saga is. Financials are a huge part of it too)
IF anything, hopefully it will highlight how stressful and unfair (including previous stars who have committed suicide) the conditions they work under, in SKorea/Asia.
These stars are all like ‘mortgages’ . Anything goes wrong in the equation chain, they’re liable to their agencies, they lose it all.
We’re NOT him, not walking in those shoes. But this is someone who has always been at the top of his game.
IF actors with domestic violence, accused rape, drug scandals etc have bounced back – why NOT just hang in there, for the sake of his kids?
Sure the hostess bar registers – but he’s almost at the brink of proving himself clear of drug intake.
MH mental health – has no one paid attention to WHY creative talented people like GDragon, Yoo Ah-in are all accused in these drug scandals too?
Seeing it from the perspectives of Western-culture/North America eyes does NOT work. There are practices in Asia that work better, and work badly.
Similarly there are many things I do not agree with/will never agree with even given another 50 years while living here in NAmerica either (having lived in both places)
What I’m most sardonic about is how S. Koreans could be so forgiving of some egregious crimes like rapes, domestic violence, and political/corporate corruption that have done way more harms to other human beings than those who committed crimes themselves but in this case, they went all out witch hunting a man whose reported scandals were controversial, still under investigation. Even more laughable is how some keyboard nugus made comments about their disappointment at LSK for his affairs. LOL. They sounded as if he had been cheating on fans. LMAO.
Agree, I am with you.
Wrote elsewhere, Financial is a huge part of the overall picture too.
Since the get go when he was Blackmailed.
These stars are ‘products’ including others who have committed suicide because they were manipulated products of their managers/companies.
Confessing to cheating is bad enough for an ordinary person. Added to this, the ongoing blackmailing, the contract cancellations. the financials – even sending the 2 kids off to US suddenly, comes with a price tag. (media and interrogations are just part of the overall package)
Agree! Keeping this hushed means that more people will be driven to their deaths. Also, I don’t know how this works in Korea and if his next of kin are liable for his debts, but if they are, maybe the CF will back off in fear of bad publicity.
His wife begged the letter to be kept private. They breached this family’s privacy every chance they got. He made some mistakes but the public and media went way out of line here.
I disagree that the contents of his letter should be made public. He is not the first celebrity to take his life due to similar circumstances, and where has it gotten anyone? Even with the contents made public, they will only use it for fodder for gossip and the Korean societal ills will continue. It’s not for nothing that S. Korea has one of the highest suicide rates in the world. I don’t think that his suicide note will make any impact in society and should be kept private at the behest of his family. He has already been stripped of so much of his dignity when he was alive, the most we can do is to honor him in death. He was just a fallible human, even if the worst thing he did was cheat on his wife and use drugs – he didn’t cause harm to anyone but his family and himself. Why he has to be treated worse than a serial killer is something I will never understand.
What will make an impact is if a family member or someone in his name takes up a cause and lobbies the government in his name like the setting up the Shiny Foundation in Jonghyun’s name or when Goo Hara’s elder brother, Goo Ho-in, started a petition to revise South Korea’s inheritance law, to prevent a parent from claiming inheritance if they had neglected their parental duties. These are things that will benefit society and affect change. Simply discussing the matter will do nothing to prevent it from re-occuring.
OMG I didn’t even know Goo Hara was also gone until this point. Exactly how many K-ent celebs took their own lives over the past few years?
If LSK’s family requested to keep his notes private, then surely they shouldn’t have been disclosed. It’s a criminal act that can be even sued for violating privacy law in the States. Nonetheless, my point is that it would be understandable and justified if his wife had disclosed the notes to the public since there’re comments speculating his wife had done this intentionally. Regardless, now that everyone knows the man was so desperate to the point taking his own life and he’s not just a B-list celeb in local Asian ent but a well-known and internationally acclaimed star that his suicide has caught attention to the main media around the world, I don’t think ppl should let the related issues be swept under the carpet as how it was always dealt with other K-ent celeb’s deaths in the past, until next death of a prominent figure occurs again.
As I mentioned in a prior comment, it’s puzzling that S. Korea has such a rigid law on drug-related violations but not other crimes such as domestic violence and rapes. It’s also dumbfounding that many Asian fans (mostly ethnic Chinese and Korean) are more scathing and unforgiving about infidelity than rape and domestic violence. LOL. Look! There are examples of the former criminals committing rapes getting back to the showbiz and being active as usual. Exactly which misconducts are more severe and violating other human beings? But S. Koreans treated LSK worse than a sex offender and domestic abuser!!!! SMH and LOL! I’m seeing cultural messed-up here.
A suicide note is private , medias have a great part of responsability in his death too ! They just want to make money upon the misfortune of a celebrity . They don’t care about the fact that they are putting a family which is already devasted in even more desesperation . I feel so much for his wife and sons because they are left alone with an husband and a father who left them because he couldn’t cope with the pressure and the financial problems . I understand why he did it and hope that he is resting in peace , but it’s a selfish act because his family is going through so much and are going to resolve what he couldn’t do . So Unfair . Where were his friends when he needed them the most ! Why showing up at his wake, why celebrities will wear black at the end year ceremonies when they didn’t even try to reach him with a kind gesture,…They were busy protecting their image . So stop with the hypocrisy ! A few days ago he was treated as a criminal and now they are commemorating ! No Shame !
I am not sure if it 100% right, there someone from Twitter said : LSK’s scandal getting bigger is a way to distract from the first lady’s issue in South Korea. Even though there’s no proof of guilt from the media or police, they’re making a big deal out of it on purpose. And LSK’s request for a private investigation is turned down, adding to the whole situation.
What I have a hard time understanding is what penalties exactly he was asked to pay for and he was fired from Cfs and movies after the accusations broke out? Shouldn’t they wait for a competent court to pass sentence before even daring to fire him, and to ask for penalties on top of that. How do they draft these contracts if I may ask? Cause as far as I know, nobody can control gossip or someone else’s mental health. I’m not trying to say all the accusations are false, but take for instance someone wakes up feeling mad and offended and goes after a celeb with a malicious lie, the fact that the celeb will go under fire from the public and even from already entered contracts is outrageous. I’d like for those companies that fired him and asked for penalties to be sued for an obvious breach. celebs should maintain a good image cannot possibly include controlling other people’s whims and actions. I’m so pissed that he was treated like he was guilty and needed to prove his innocence when it’s the system that needed to prove his guilt. And those agencies of theirs what’s their use if not to protect their talents. Asking for penalties, when the matter hasn’t even gone to court!! They must be clowns
Whatever happens, never ever leave your kids behind and your partner in life.
+1
May he rest in peace. Condolences to his wife and two boys. Hope the debtors don’t go after them.