Byun Young Joo honors Lee Sun Kyun on 'CineDrive' while condemning investigative authorities

26 Apr 2026, 00:22 by hjang · allkpop

Director Byun Young Joo shared moving anecdotes of the late actor Lee Sun Gyun during an appearance on the YouTube channel 'CineDrive' on April 23, 2026. Recalling their collaboration on the 2012 film 'Helpless', she described him as a loyal "comrade" who provided immense support to directors. Byun Young Joo recounted a specific instance during a tight filming schedule in Yongsan where the actor requested "15 minutes" to perfectly align his movements with the camera to save time and budget. She also shared a warm memory of him playfully scolding her for leaving a post-wrap gathering early, highlighting the deep bond they shared.

The director revealed that the author of the original novel, Miyabe Miyuki, was such a great admirer of Lee Sun Kyun's performance that she recently granted Byun Young Joo the rights to another of her books, 'Reason', as a tribute to the late actor. However, the atmosphere turned somber as Byun Young Joo voiced her enduring resentment toward the prosecution and police regarding the 2023 investigation that led to the actor’s death. She stated that she would likely never be able to forgive the authorities, a sentiment echoed by fellow director Bang Eun Jin, who stressed that such a tragedy must never happen again.

The background of the 2023 probe was marked by a series of aggressive, high-profile investigations, including one involving G-Dragon, where artists were subjected to intense public scrutiny despite consistently testing negative for drugs. Critics viewed these cases as "performance-driven" probes aimed at bolstering the government's "war on drugs" agenda. The controversy culminated in legal consequences for those involved in the leakage of confidential information from the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency. An officer referred to as A was sentenced to 1 year and 2 months in prison, suspended for 2 years, while a journalist who received the leaked reports was fined 3,704 USD (5 million KRW). Byun Young Joo concluded that the loss of Lee Sun Kyun remains an open wound for the Korean filmmaking community.

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