A woman accused of trying to extort around $50 million won from the SAG Award-winning actor was caught on late Wednesday, December 27, after fleeing before arrest warrant hearing.
- Dec 27, 2023
AceShowbiz - Lee Sun-Kyun's alleged blackmailer has been detained by police, hours after the actor's tragic death. A woman suspected of extorting the "Parasite" star was taken into custody by local police on late Wednesday, December 27.
According to reports, Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency apprehended the suspect in her 20s after she failed to appear at Incheon District Court on Tuesday for a scheduled substantive review of her arrest warrant. The police traced her whereabouts after she did not show up at the court with no explanation.
The police did not disclose where they apprehended the woman, but she's currently held at the Incheon Nonhyeon Police Precint before her scheduled warrant review, which will take place on Thursday at 2:30 P.M.
The suspect is accused of blackmailing and extorting 50 million won ($38,700) from Lee Sun-kyun. The actor claimed he was threatened by the suspect and another woman, a 29-year-old hostess of a high-end bar, saying the two extorted a total of $350 million won from him.
Lee Sun-Kyun had been under investigation for alleged drug use weeks prior to his death. He had undergone three rounds of police questioning starting October 28. The third questioning took place on December 23 and lasted 19 hours, with the actor leaving the police station in the early hours of Christmas Eve.
He was found unconscious three days later, on December 27, after his wife Jeon Hye-jin alerted police to what appeared to be a suicide note she had found from her husband. The police located him inside a car which was parked near Waryong Park in northern Jongno-gu, Seoul.
His death is currently under investigation, with reports saying authorities had found a charcoal briquette in the passenger seat of the car. His agency said in a statement on Wednesday, "We respectfully ask that you refrain from spreading false facts based on speculation or speculation and malicious reports based on them so that the deceased's final journey will be in peace."
The agency also announced, "The funeral will be held quietly with the bereaved family and colleagues in attendance." A wake for the actor is currently taking place at Seoul National University Hospital in Jongno-gu, central Seoul.
