Korean actor Cho Yeo-jeong remembers late 'Parasite' co-star Lee Sun-kyun in New Year's post

NEW DELHI: ''Parasite'' actor Cho Yeo-jeong paid tribute to Lee Sun-kyun in the New Year, remembering her late co-star as ''a warm and good'' artiste.

Bong Joon-ho's ''Parasite'' was a stinging satire on class divides in South Korea and etched history in 2020 when it became the first non-English film to win an Academy Award for best picture. It also bagged three more Oscars, including best director trophy for Bong.

Cho played Choi Yeon-gyo, the Park family matriarch, opposite Lee, who essayed the role of Park Dong-ik, the Park family head, in the genre-defying movie.

The actor shared a throwback selfie on Instagram on Monday with Lee and other ''Parasite'' co-stars Choi Woo-shik and Park Myung-hoon from an awards show. ''I will never forget the honour of being together (with you). I will never forget (your) cheerfulness of always making everyone smile. I will be a warm and good actor like you. I'll embrace a new year that is not pleasant. I'll try to do well,'' she wrote in the caption.

Lee, 48, was found dead last Wednesday in Seoul by South Korean authorities following up a report that he had gone missing. The actor had faced investigation over accusations of illegal drug use amid a government crackdown in which police questioned him three times, with one session running 19 hours over the weekend.

Lee had said he was tricked into taking drugs by a bar hostess trying to blackmail him, the Yonhap news agency reported.

The actor is also known for Koreans films such as ''Helpless'' and ''All About My Wife'' as well as K-dramas ''Coffee Prince'' and ''My Mister''. Lee was nominated for best actor International Emmy for his titular role in Apple TV+'s first Korean-language original series ''Mr Brain''. Earlier, popular Korean actors like Kim Go-eun, Lee Je-hoon and Kim Nam-gil also paid homage to Lee.