What Are South Korea’s Drug Laws? ‘Parasite’ Actor Lee Sun-kyun’s Apparent Suicide Comes Amid Strict Crackdown

[Sugar Cookie]

The apparent suicide of “Parasite” actor and drug suspect Lee Sun-kyun Wednesday came amid a strict crackdown on drugs in South Korea, where offenses are punishable by prison terms of anywhere from six months to 14 years for dealers and repeat offenders.

Lee, 48, had left behind a suicide note before being found unconscious in a car filled with carbon monoxide next to a Seoul park, police said.

His death came two months after he was reportedly dropped from a film in connection with his alleged drug use and days after he endured a 19-hour interrogation about it — his third questioning in as many months, officials said.

Lee, best known for his role in the 2019 Oscar-winning thriller, had told cops that a bar hostess tricked him into doing drugs, including cannabis, and then tried to blackmail him, the Yonhap news agency reported.

President Yoon Suk Yeol promised this spring that his government would “join all forces to win the war on drugs,” following the drug arrest of another A-list actor, Yoo Ah-in, and after a crime ring blackmailed the parents of teenagers who were given drinks laced with methamphetamine, The Korea Times reported.

A new narcotics investigation department at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office was launched with a staff of 840 people, as punishments against users and smugglers alike were bolstered.

“Harsh investigations are necessary to punish drug criminals,” Yoon said. “Efforts should also be given to rehabilitation treatment to help them return to society at the earliest possible date,” he added, highlighting increased rehab training and staffing.

Despite — or perhaps because of — the crackdown, drug arrests were at a record high in the democratic republic of 52 million this year.

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What are South Korea’s drug laws? ‘Parasite’ actor Lee Sun-kyun’s apparent suicide comes amid strict crackdown

Offenses are punishable by prison terms of anywhere from six months to 14 years for dealers and repeat offenders in the country.

nypost.com

I never saw Parasite, was it any good?