Lee Sun-kyun returns home after 19-hour police questioning

Actor Lee Sun-kyun walks into the Incheon Nonhyeon Police Station on Saturday for his third summons and questioning [NEWS1]

Actor Lee Sun-kyun, who allegedly took illegal drugs and has been summoned twice previously by the Incheon Police Station for investigation, was summoned for the third time on Saturday and returned home after 19 hours of questioning.

The drug crime investigation unit of the Incheon Police Agency summoned and questioned Lee, who is suspected of marijuana and psychotropic drug use under the Narcotics Control Act, as a suspect on Saturday, according to the police on Sunday.

This investigation is the third following the first on Oct. 29, when Lee returned home after only receiving a reagent test, and the second on Nov. 3, when he was questioned for about three hours.

As the investigation, which started around 10 a.m. on Saturday, elongated into Sunday, the police received Lee’s consent and conducted a late-night investigation until 5 a.m. that day. Related laws prohibit investigation of suspects or people involved in cases between 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., but a late-night investigation can be conducted with the consent of those under questioning if an extended investigation is deemed necessary.

“I have also completed questioning as the plaintiff in the blackmail case,” Lee said to reporters as he came out of the police building Sunday morning. Lee has filed a lawsuit against a manager of an entertainment establishment in Gangnam District for blackmail against him in relation to the drug investigation case. “The police will now decide whether my statements or the blackmailers are credible, and I hope that they use good judgment.”

When asked if the actor admitted to the allegations of drug use, Lee simply answered that he had “answered all questions sincerely during the police investigation today.”

Lee previously tested negative in a simple reagent test using urine and in a detailed analysis conducted by the National Forensic Service using hair samples.

The Incheon Police Agency had investigated a total of 10 people, including Lee, on suspicion of illegal drug use. Among them, singer G-Drgaon’s case was closed as the police concluded that he had not used illegal drugs.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]