Incheon police and media outlet under investigation for leaks in Lee Sun-kyun case

Social Affairs

Incheon police and media outlet under investigation for leaks in Lee Sun-kyun case

Published: 23 Jan. 2024, 11:08

LEE SOO-JUNG
lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr

Actor Lee Sun-kyun's funeral altar at the Seoul National University Hospital's funeral home in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Dec. 27, 2023 [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

The police have launched an investigation into Incheon police and a media outlet over allegations of leaked investigation details related to actor Lee Sun-kyun's alleged drug use case.

Authorities executed a search and seizure order against the drug crime investigation division of Incheon Police Precinct, which was responsible for investigating Lee, and a media outlet that published specific details of the investigation, according to the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police on Tuesday.

The specific details of the places targeted by the search and seizure have not been disclosed yet.

The police obtained mobile and electronic devices belonging to the investigators overseeing Lee’s case, along with investigation records related to Lee's case.

The police will look into how the investigation details found their way to the media outlet by tracing and analyzing the data on the confiscated devices.

“The investigation about the leakage will be thorough, strict and swift,” an official from the police said, adding that he cannot share any further details about the investigation.

The Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency requested that the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police investigate the leakage on Jan. 15. The request seemingly aims to guarantee the fairness and objectivity of the investigation.

Lee’s alleged drug abuse was publicized on Oct. 19 last year.

Lee had been summoned to the Incheon Police Precinct three times for drug abuse from October to December until he took his own life on Dec. 27.

Incheon Police Precinct rejected Lee’s request to be summoned privately before the third questioning on Dec. 23.

After Lee’s death, culture and entertainment industry figures — including “Parasite" (2019) director Bong Joon-ho — called for a probe into the leak of investigation information and measures to better protect the human rights of artists undergoing criminal investigations on Jan. 12.

BY LEE SOO-JUNG [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]