According to news reports published on Wednesday, December 27, South Korean actor Lee Sun Kyun died at the age of 48. Sun Kyun was perhaps best known for his role in award-winning film, Parasite, but throughout his career he has also appeared in several other notable works.
Here are 10 memorable K-dramas and movies that Lee Sun Kyun appeared in:
1. Coffee Prince (2007)
Coffee Prince was *the hit series* of 2007. It tells the story of an unlikely romance between Go Eun Chan (Yoon Eun Hye), a woman who pretends to be a man to get a job in a cafe run by the wealthy Choi Han Gyeol (Gong Yoo). Lee Sun Kyun plays the role of Choi Han Sung, a talented record producer and cousin of the lead character. As if romantic matters weren't complicated enough, Han Sung is in a relationship with Han Yoo Joo (Chae Jung An)—Han Gyeol's ex and first love!
Number of episodes: 17
2. Pasta (2010)
This workplace rom-com features the unconventional love story between Seo Yoo Kyung (Gong Hyo Jin) and Choi Hyun Wook (Sun Kyun). Yoo Kyung's goal in life is to become an Italian cuisine chef, and after 3 years she's managed to worked her way up from kitchen assistant to chef. However, one day La Sfera restaurant hires Hyun Wook, who went to culinary school in Italy. After a series of layoffs, Yoo Kyung is the last female chef left—will Hyun Wook become a threat to her dream?
Number of episodes: 20
3. Golden Time (2012)
In emergency medicine, "golden time" is a term that refers to the crucial time period right after a patient suffers a traumatic injury. Giving the correct medical treatment in a timely manner could determine if a patient lives or dies. In the drama, Sun Kyun plays Lee Min Woo, a free-spirited doctor who returns to a city hospital after completing his residency. However, a traumatic incident forces him to rethink why he wanted to practice medicine in the first place.
Fun fact: the trauma specialist character is actually based on real-life doctor Lee Guk Jong, who became famous in 2011 during a rescue mission from Somali pirates.
Number of episodes: 23
4. My Mister (2018)
In this psychological drama, Lee Ji An (IU) is a 21-year-old debt-ridden woman. Struggling to survive and escape the loan sharks, Ji An works part time at a construction company in order to take care of her deaf, sick grandmother. Park Dong Hoon (Sun Kyun) is an engineer for the same company, and their paths cross one day when Ji An attempts to steal from Dong Hoon. Eventually their point of conflict becomes a bridge in helping each other overcome their hardships and heal past scars.
Number of episodes: 16
5. Diary of a Prosecutor (2019)
The story is told through the eyes—and voice—of Criminal Investigation Team 2 prosecutor Lee Sun Woong (Sun Kyun). Having spent 10 years doing his job, he is currently assigned to his hometown province, Jinyoung. Due to the outcome of one of her cases, Cha Myung Joo (Jung Ryeo Won), an ambitious and successful prosecutor in Seoul, is transferred to the small provincial town. Determined to make her way back to the capital, her time away isn't made easier when she doesn't get along with her new coworkers—particularly Sung Woong.
Number of episodes: 16
6. Payback: Money and Power (2023)
"A wealthy trader risks it all for priceless revenge," is how Prime Video describes this show. Lee Sun Kyun played the role of Eun Yong, a money trader determined to fight against a money cartel which colluded with the law. If you are a fan of politics and crime, then this K-drama is just for you.
Number of episodes: 12
7. Paju (2009)
Paju is a film about Kim Joong Shik (Sun Kyun), a mysterious new arrival to the town of Paju. Teaching religious classes to the young schoolgirls, he eventually marries a local named Choi Eun Soo. Eun Soo's younger sister Eun Mo is Joong Shik's student, and clearly does not approve of their relationship.
Years later in the present day, viewers find an older Eun Mo still at odds with her brother-in-law, however as she digs further into the truth about her sister's death Eun Mo becomes torn between the facts and her feelings for Joong Shik.
8. Parasite (2019)
Parasite is a 2019 award-winning black comedy thriller about the Kims, an impoverished family who scheme to become employed by the wealthy Park family—they infiltrate their household by posing as unrelated, highly qualified people. Sun Kyun played the role of the affluent Park patriarch.
Parasite won an Best Foreign Language Film at the 2020 Golden Globes. Director Bong Joon Ho also took home the award for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film at the 2020 Oscars, making Parasite the first non-English-language film to win Best Picture in the then 92-year history of the Academy Awards.
9. Kingmaker (2022)
The political drama film was written and directed by Byun Sung Hyun (who also directed and wrote the screenplay for Kill Boksoon). Kingmaker references the working relationship between Kim Woon Beom (Sol Kyung Gu) and Song Chang Dae (Sun Kyun). Woon Beom is based on on politician Kim Dae Jung (the man who eventually became the 8th President of South Korea), while Chang Dae is based on political strategist Uhm Chang Rok.
Kim Woon Beom dreams of having the power to change the country for the better, while Chang Dae prioritizes winning above everything else.
10. Sleep (2023)
Described as a black comedy horror thriller, Sleep centers around newlywed couple Soo Jin (Jung Yu Mi) and Hyun Soo (Sun Kyun). One night, Soo Jin suddenly discovers Hyun Soo sleepwalking and behaving strangely. He doesn't remember anything upon waking up, which disturbs his new wife. Things don't get better, and a fearful Soo Jin worries when things take a dark turn—particularly because she is pregnant.
