Preamble:
Can deadly high-pressure interrogation drive a normal person crazy?
On December 27, a dazzling star in the Korean film industry suddenly fell, and the well-known actor Lee Sun-gyun died in Wolong Park in Seoul at the age of 48.
The police preliminarily determined that he had committed suicide.
This bad news hit the hearts of countless fans like thunder, and at the same time, it also makes people have to think deeply, what forced this beautiful actor to go to a dead end?
Lee Sun-kyun, born in 1970 in an ordinary family in Seoul, South Korea, has been frail and introverted since he was a child, but he has shown great interest and talent in performing arts.
He has joined the campus repertory troupe since elementary school, and has starred in many children's dramas such as "Cinderella" and "Snow White", and is deeply loved by teachers and classmates.
At the age of 15, Lee Sun-kyun was selected by a talent scout for his outstanding performance in the school drama "Angel's Gift" and officially entered the showbiz.
At that time, Lee Sun-kyun was introverted and shy, but he was full of enthusiasm for acting, and he chose to skip high school and devote himself to acting.
After 10 years of hard training and participated in the filming of dozens of film and television works, Lee Sun-kyun finally ushered in his big-screen debut in 1995.
In the youth campus movie "Our Common Memory", Lee Sun-kyun successfully created a lively and cheerful student image with a heart [tearful], and began to attract the attention and praise of film critics and audiences.
Lee Sun-kyun's acting career has experienced ups and downs
In 2001, in the commercial film "Friends", Lee Sun-kyun successfully portrayed a character who was tormented in his heart but forced to smile on the surface, which also became the masterpiece of his acting career.
In order to prepare for this role, Lee Sun-kyun conducted in-depth research on the theme of the movie in advance, and also specially visited some patients with mental illness.
In these ways, he hopes to understand and appreciate this contradictory and complex character more thoroughly.
After the release of the movie, Lee Sun-kyun's acting skills and expressiveness were highly praised by the film industry and the audience.
thought that he could soar to the sky with this, but who knew that the final box office of this movie with a heavier theme was still unsatisfactory.
In the following years, Li Shanjun's roles and salaries continued to decline.
He had to star in some TV series with thin themes and rough production to make ends meet, which also made his popularity and popularity fluctuate dramatically.
In 2009, the 39-year-old Lee Sun-gyun could only play some supporting roles in a few low-budget films, and his acting career seemed to end in middle age.
For a year, Li Shanjun fell into a deep trough and confusion.
He even wanted to give up his acting career and find another way.
Fortunately, with the guidance and encouragement of close friends and family, in 2010, Li Shanjun regained his confidence and decided not to give up lightly and began to start again.
He changed his agency and work team, and starred in several niche, independent, high-quality art films.
In these works, Li Shanjun no longer deliberately performs and pleases the audience, but tries his best to explore the inner emotions and personalities of the characters.
This restrained and delicate performance shows his acting strength and unique charm that is getting better.
In the 2014 costume historical film "Once Upon a Time in the Royal Family", Lee Sun-kyun brilliantly portrayed a contradictory and three-dimensional villain, which finally attracted the attention of the film industry and the audience again.
Since then, he has ushered in the second spring of his acting career.
The career is back on track and unfortunately encounters a drug test
Since 2015, Lee Sun-kyun has starred in more than 10 films, covering themes such as the War of Resistance Against Japan, spy warfare, and family ethics.
He is good at psychological analysis and detailed portrayal, and has successfully created characters with complex personalities and rich hearts.
Over the years, he has won a total of 7 Best Actor Awards at film festivals, plus the Baeksang Best Actor won for him in "Brothers and Sisters in the Smoke", which proves that he has been on the top line in the film industry.
In addition to screen movies, Lee Sun-kyun has also starred in 5 hit idol dramas.
Especially in this year's "Into Your Persistence", the warm and loving psychiatrist he played was wildly sought after by young people, and his popularity soared.
It can be said that at the age of 48, Lee Sun-kyun is at the peak of his acting career.
Unfortunately, just when Lee Sun-kyun's career was in full swing, he encountered a drug test incident.
In March this year, at the site of a commercial event, the staff found that Li Shanjun had an abnormal demeanor and abnormal behavior, and after judging that he was suspected of drug use, the police took him away for drug testing.
The test report showed that Li Shanjun tested positive for cocaine.
Subsequently, the police filed a case and demanded that Li Shanjun admit to taking drugs.
As soon as this news came out, it immediately caused an uproar in the entertainment industry.
Li Shanjun hurriedly clarified afterwards, claiming that the drug test report was a false positive and that he had never taken any drugs.
He also revealed that he had been taking necessary prescription medications for depression and other ailments for many years, and that the drug test problem may be related to this.
However, under the criticism and pressure of public opinion from all walks of life, the police still decided to formally open a case for investigation.
The high-pressure police interrogation left Lee Sun-kyun in despair
According to Lee's lawyer, after the case was filed, the police conducted 19 hours of intense interrogation.
During the lengthy interrogation, several police officers took turns to extract a confession from Lee Sun-gyun and asked him to confess to taking cocaine.
Li Shanjun flatly denied that he had taken drugs from beginning to end, and repeatedly stressed that the test report was wrong.
He said he was willing to take a new test, get a hair drug test, and even take a polygraph to prove his innocence.
However, the police ignored his request and insisted that he was suspected of drug abuse.
Under this high-pressure torture to extract a confession, the fragile Lee Sun-kyun finally collapsed under the huge physical and mental pressure.
He realized that under the conviction of various public opinions, it would be difficult for him to turn over even if he proved his innocence.
There is no room for fate to turn around, and there is only despair left in my heart.
It was undoubtedly the darkest and most desperate day of his life.
Faced with a collective boycott from the film industry system
At the same time, Lee Sun-kyun also faced a devastating blow to his career.
He had appointments with a number of film companies and brands, promising to shoot two commercial blockbusters this year.
The film and television works "Letter from the Northland" and "Rescued Heart" are expected to start shooting within the year, and Li Shanjun will play the leading role in them.
Both roles are extremely challenging, which can not only allow Lee Sun-kyun to reach new heights in acting, but also further enhance his box office appeal.
At the same time, he has also obtained advertising endorsements from several internationally renowned brands, and he is well paid.
All these good developments have come to naught because of the drug testing incident.
Once he is confirmed to be taking drugs, he will be fully boycotted by the film and television industry and the advertising industry, and all contracts will be terminated, and he will need to bear huge liquidated damages.
Under this heavy blow, Li Shanjun's psychological defense line completely collapsed.
In the end, he chose to end his life in Wolong Park in Seoul.
In his suicide note, he wrote that he really couldn't face all this, and he was at a loss.
Epilogue:
Lee Sun-kyun's suicide has made countless fans feel choked.
As a film and television star, he should not have suffered such tremendous physical and mental pressure.
By all indications, it was the excessive coerced confessions of the police and the conviction of the public that largely led to his desperate choice.
It also serves as a reminder of the need to protect the basic rights of suspects and avoid high-pressure interrogations and other means when dealing with similar cases.
Only by being objective and gentle can justice be truly served.
As members of the public, we should not follow the crowd to convict a person.
Believe in law and justice and give everyone a chance to prove themselves.
Li Shanjun's sentence "I was wronged" will always shake people's hearts.
May this venerable actor rest in peace!