December 27 is the 1st anniversary of the death of late actor Lee Sun-kyun.
Recently, Song Joong-ki appeared on a radio show and openly expressed his longing for the deceased. In particular, Song Joong-ki requested the host to play an OST from the K-drama “My Mister”, which features Lee Sun-kyun.
The actor then mourned by saying, “I recently started watching dramas again, and in a few days, it will be the anniversary of my beloved brother Lee Sun-kyun’s death. I am missing him again.”
Song Joong-ki also mentioned the MBC drama “Triple” in 2009, where he acted with the deceased, and recalled their moments together.
“When I was waiting for my first scene, (Lee Sun-kyun) would say, ‘kid, come here’, and buy me jajangmyeon (black bean noodles) and a drink during the day. He took such good care of me”, the actor shared.
Previously, Song Joong-ki indirectly mentioned Lee Sun-kyun at “My Name is Loh Kiwan” movie talk held on March 3rd. At the time, the actor said, “Although it’s a work with many shortcomings for me personally, when it was first released on Netflix at the end of last year, a close elder brother of mine passed away. I wrote a letter in my heart.”
Instead of mentioning Lee Sun-kyun by name, he referred to him as ‘a close elder brother’. He expressed his hope that “My Name is Loh Kiwan” would become a movie that inspires people around, saying, “I hope it becomes a piece where I can write to the people I remember, ‘You deserve to be happy’.”
Song Joong-ki was not the only celebrity that mourn Lee Sun-kyun, as various others have mentioned the late actor following his passing.
In particular, Lee Hee-joon mentioned Lee Sun-kyun in an interview. When asked what kind of senior he was to juniors, Lee Hee-joon said, “I have received a lot of influence and help from good seniors such as Kim Yoon-seok and Lee Sun-kyun. When I was unknown, Lee Sun-kyun introduced me to many works, so I was able to establish myself.”
In fact, with Lee Sun-kyun’s help, Lee Hee-joon was able to audition for director Byun Young-joo’s film ‘Helpless’. In December 2021, Lee Sun-kyun said, “I asked director Byun Young-joo. I suggested to the director a combination that I thought would suit this friend if I were a casting director. I told the juniors to come comfortably because I didn’t know what the result would be. It turned out well because those friends had good talent.”
As Lee Sun-kyun became known internationally through the movie ‘Parasite,’ he was also mourned at American film awards ceremonies.
Naomi Watts mourned on stage, saying, “Last year, we lost numerous exceptional actors. Because of these people who moved the world with their talents, we keenly feel their absence.”
In January last year, Lee Sun-kyun also won a special award from the Austin Film Critics Association (AFCA). The Austin Film Critics Association mentioned the movies he appeared in along with the phrase ‘In memoriam of the life and works of Lee Sun-kyun’.
Lee Sun-kyun was a warm senior to juniors walking the same path as him. As a member of the film industry, he also left behind many good works. Colleagues and juniors who bid farewell to him are mourning Lee Sun-kyun in their own ways.
Lee Sun-kyun was found dead in a vehicle in Jongno-gu, Seoul, at 10:30 a.m. KST last December. He was 48 years old. Since October, he had been investigated three times by the police on suspicion of drug use and had received negative results in preliminary (hair) and detailed (armpit hair) tests by the National Institute of Scientific Investigation. The police concluded the investigation with no indictment upon Lee Sun-kyun’s death.