Earlier, citing police, Yonhap news agency said Lee was found in a car at a park in Seoul, after his manager told police the actor had left home, leaving an apparent suicide note.
Seoul’s Jongno and Seongbuk police stations did not immediately respond to phone calls seeking comment.
President Yoon Suk-yeol had called for more stringent measures to eliminate drug traffickers, saying the country was no longer “drug-free”.
South Korean police clear K-pop star G-Dragon of drug allegations
South Korean police clear K-pop star G-Dragon of drug allegations
Lee had been questioned three times by police, including for 19 hours over the weekend. The actor had said he was tricked into taking drugs by a bar hostess who then tried to blackmail him, Yonhap reported.
Born in 1975, Lee starred as a rich family’s father in “Parasite”, whose affluent home is infiltrated by members of a lower-class family posing as highly qualified domestic workers in a tangled scheme that leads to a gory end.
He also played leading roles in South Korean films including the 2012 thriller “Helpless” and 2014’s “All About My Wife”, among others.
Lee had the lead role in Apple TV+’s first Korean-language original series, which rolled out in 2021. “Dr. Brain”, a six-episode sci-fi thriller, was about a cold-hearted neurologist, Koh Se-won, who tries to find clues to a mysterious family accident through brain experiments.
Once celebrated for his wholesome image, local news outlets reported that the actor was being dropped from television and commercial projects following his drug scandal.
A graduate of South Korea’s prestigious Korea National University of Arts, Lee made his acting debut in 2001 in a television sitcom titled “Lovers”.
He later won acclaim for his performances in a variety of roles, including a charismatic chef and a diligent architectural engineer who learns his wife cheats on him.
Lee’s last film, this year’s horror flick “Sleep” – in which he played a husband whose sleepwalking eventually leads to horrifying circumstances – was well-received critically and featured in the Critics’ Week section at the Cannes festival.
He briefly spoke to reporters in late October before entering an Incheon police station to meet with investigators.
“I sincerely apologise for causing great disappointment to many people by being involved in such an unpleasant incident,” he said at the time.
“I feel sorry for my family, which is enduring such difficult pain at this moment.
“Once again, I sincerely apologise to everyone.”
Lee is survived by wife and actress Jeon Hye-jin and two sons.
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse