Parasite actress Cho Yeo-jeong honours late co-star Lee Sun-kyun in New Year’s post

Cho Yeo-jeong, best known for playing Choi Yeon-gyo in Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite, paused to pay tribute to her late co-star Lee Sun-kyun. The actress shared a monochrome picture with her Parasite castmates and penned an emotional note in the caption. Sun-kyun was found dead in his car on December 27. 

Cho Yeo-jeong’s Instagram post 

Cho played Choi Yeon-gyo, the Park family matriarch, opposite Lee Sun-kyun, who essayed the role of Park Dong-ik, the Park family head, in the genre-defying movie Parasite. The actress shared a throwback selfie on Instagram with Lee and other co-stars Choi Woo-shik and Park Myung-hoon from an awards show.

“I will never forget the honour of being together (with you). I will never forget (your) cheerfulness of always making everyone smile. I will be a warm and good actor like you. I’ll embrace a new year that is not pleasant. I’ll try to do well,” she wrote in the caption.

Lee Sun-kyun’s drug case 

Lee, 48, was found dead last Wednesday in Seoul by South Korean authorities following up a report that he had gone missing. The actor had faced investigation over accusations of illegal drug use amid a government crackdown in which police questioned him three times, with one session running 19 hours over the weekend.

Lee had said he was tricked into taking drugs by a bar hostess trying to blackmail him, the Yonhap news agency reported.

Born in 1975, Lee made a significant impact in the entertainment industry with his performances in various South Korean films. Notably, he portrayed a pivotal role in the Oscar-winning film Parasite, which garnered him critical acclaim and a Screen Actors Guild Award along with his castmates. 

His career encompassed a diverse range of roles, from the thrilling Helpless (2012) to the comedic All About My Wife (2012) and the crime/black comedy A Hard Day (2014). Lee was nominated for Best Actor International Emmy for his titular role in Apple TV ‘s first Korean-language original series Mr Brain.

(with inputs from PTI)