Entertainment leaders, including director Bong Joon Ho, singer-songwriter Yoon Jong Shin, director Lee Won Taek, actor Kim Ui Seong, and more, have held a press conference urging transparency in the police investigation and requested accountability of KBS for the articles released of the late actor Lee Sun Gyun.

On January 12, the 'Cultural and Artists Solidarity' (tentative name) convened a press conference at the Korea Press Center in Seoul, unveiling their statement titled 'The Demands of Cultural Artists Facing the Death of the Late Actor.' During the event, actor Kim Ui Seong, director Bong Joon Ho, singer Yoon Jong Shin, and director Lee Won Taek took turns reading statements before the assembled media members.

The solidarity group opened their statement by sensitively addressing the sad event of December 27, 2023, when Lee Sun Gyun tragically passed away by suicide. They carefully traced the timeline of events leading up to this, starting with an article on October 19 that claimed 'Actor L was under investigation for drug-related suspicions.' This report was followed by the actor's official booking on October 23. Over the following two months, the actor faced intense media scrutiny and public exposure, during which time there were no protective measures in place to shield him from the overwhelming media attention.

Addressing the media's role, the group emphasized, "The entire process, from the preliminary examination to the comprehensive examination by the National Forensic Service, the collection of samples, and the disclosure of negative drug test results, unfolded live through the media. Even the three police summons were broadcast. Private voice recordings, irrelevant to the case as evidence, were released and made public by the media. Ultimately, after the third summons and 19 hours of investigation, the actor chose to end his life, leaving behind a request for a polygraph to unveil the truth."

The Cultural and Artists Solidarity called for a thorough investigation into the truth to ensure transparency in the police's two-month-long investigation.

Continuing their statement on the media, they questioned, "Can we genuinely assert that the investigative reporting during the internal investigation phase served the public interest and aligned with the public's right to information? Or, was it a sensationalized report, focusing on an individual's private life solely because they were a pop culture artist? Were there unjust demands made to the police, insisting on placing the deceased in the limelight due to their status as a pop culture artist? Can we confidently affirm that KBS, by including irrelevant audio from a private conversation, was reporting exclusively for the public's right to know, even at the risk of jeopardizing its status as a public broadcaster?"

The group emphatically called on the government and the National Assembly to actively address the incident, stressing the importance of examining and reinforcing laws that both prohibit the unwarranted disclosure of criminal cases and uphold human rights during investigations. They advocated for the prompt initiation of new legislation and amendments to existing laws. Their stance underscored the critical need for legal reforms to balance suspects' rights and the public's right to information. Furthermore, they appealed for steps to be taken to ensure that investigative authorities do not subjectively interpret or apply the law, thereby safeguarding its intended purpose.

Meanwhile, the late actor Lee Sun Gyun was discovered deceased in a park in Seoul on December 27.