What Led to Lee Sang-bo’s Untimely Death? A Look Back at His Life and Career

Lee Sang-bo / Photo = TV CHOSUN capture

[Sports Today reporter Jeong Ye-won] Actor Lee Sang-bo has died, South Korean outlets reported.

On March 27, his agency, Korea Management Group (KMG), told Sports Today that it had seen the reports and was looking into the matter.

Earlier that same day, Hankook Ilbo reported that Lee had been found dead the previous day.

Born in 1981, Lee began his acting career in 2006 with the drama \”The Invisible Man, Choi Jang-soo\” (투명인간 최장수). He went on to appear in series including \”A Daughter-in-Law’s Heyday\” (며느리 전성시대), \”Wicked Love\” (못된 사랑), \”Rugal\” (루갈), \”Private Lives\” (사생활), \”Miss Monte-Cristo\” (미스 몬테크리스토) and \”Elegant Empire\” (우아한 제국), and in films such as \”Secretly, Greatly\” (은밀하게 위대하게) and \”Mephisto\” (메피스토).

In 2022, Lee was embroiled in a distressing false accusation that he had taken illegal drugs. According to reports, after taking prescribed tranquilizers for depression he was seen stumbling on the street; a passerby misinterpreted the scene and called the police, touching off a public misunderstanding.

Lee later addressed the episode on the variety show \”Charge of the Sisters\” (진격의 언니들), recounting that on Chuseok he had taken his prescribed tranquilizer and gone to a convenience store, only to be abruptly detained. He said drug tests came back negative, yet he was held in a cell. During the arrest his phone was damaged, leaving him unable to contact anyone, he explained.

He added that footage of him captured on CCTV ran alongside news reports that a man in his 40s had been arrested on drug charges, a combination that made him feel he could no longer live in the country. He also said he was forced to pay 1.2 million KRW (about $900) for a hospital drug test out of pocket.

[스포츠투데이 정예원 기자 ent@stoo.com]
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