Home > Entertainment > Movies

Police officer, prosecution investigator indicted for leaking information in late Lee Sun-kyun drug case

Published: 05 Jun. 2025, 18:07

Late actor Lee Sun-kyun exits a vehicle at the Incheon Nonhyeon Police Station on Aug. 22, 2024. [NEWS1]

Prosecutors indicted a police officer and a prosecution investigator for leaking sensitive information related to the drug investigation into the late actor Lee Sun-kyun, whose death in December 2023 shocked the nation and sparked widespread criticism of investigative conduct and media ethics.

The Incheon District Prosecutors’ Office announced Thursday that both officials — one a former police lieutenant with the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency and the other an investigator at the Incheon prosecutors’ office — were charged without detention for leaking investigation details. A journalist who received and shared the leaked personal data was also indicted for violating the Personal Information Protection Act.

The former lieutenant is accused of leaking investigation materials — specifically a progress report on Lee’s drug case — by photographing and sending it to a journalist and then another reporter in October 2023.

The leaked report, prepared by the narcotics crime investigation team of the Incheon police, contained personal details such as names, criminal records, identities and occupations of individuals connected to Lee’s case.

Lee was found dead while under investigation in an apparent suicide at a park in central Seoul on Dec. 27, 2023.

One entertainment outlet that received the material from a journalist published edited photos and content from the report on Dec. 28, 2023, the day after Lee's death.

Late actor Lee Sun-kyun in Cannes, France, on May 21, 2023 [NEWS1]

The prosecution investigator is accused of twice providing a local newspaper journalist with information that Lee was under investigation for drug use and details about the progress of the case.

The police lieutenant was dismissed from duty due to the leak, while the prosecution investigator has been suspended and is undergoing disciplinary procedures.

The prosecution decided not to indict three journalists who only received personal information from the police lieutenant and prosecution investigator. According to Article 71 of the Personal Information Protection Act, recipients of personal data can only be punished if there is proof the data was received for profit or illicit purposes.

Earlier, the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency, which investigated the leak, sought arrest warrants for the lieutenant and the investigator. However, the court denied the request, citing the fact that key evidence had already been secured.

Lee was booked on suspicion of drug use on Oct. 14, 2023, and was summoned for police questioning three times over two months. He was found dead in a parked car near Waryong Park in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Dec. 27, four days after the third interrogation.

Actor Lee Sun-kyun's funeral altar is set up at the Seoul National University Hospital's funeral home in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Dec. 27, 2023. [NEWS1]

Following his death, the Incheon police, which had been leading the investigation into Lee's alleged drug use, requested the Gyeonggi Nambu police to investigate the circumstances of the information leak.

Lee rose to global fame for his lead role in the Oscar-winning 2019 film “Parasite.” He debuted in 2001 through an MBC sitcom and is famed for his roles in multiple Korean films and dramas, such as "All About My Wife" (2012), "A Hard Day" (2014), "My Mister" (2018) and "Kingmaker" (2022).

If you or someone you know is feeling emotionally distressed or struggling with thoughts of suicide, LifeLine Korea can be contacted at 1588-9191 or the Crisis Counseling Center at 1577-0199. The Seoul Global Center offers English-language counseling, contact 02-2075-4180 (+1) to arrange a session. Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY JANG GU-SEUL [[email protected]]