The questioning of South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun on three separate occasions was justified and done with his consent, a police district chief said on Thursday.

Lee’s body was found in a car at a park in Seoul on Wednesday, after he was reported missing amid a drug probe.

At a news briefing on Thursday, Incheon Metropolitan Police chief Kim Hui-jung expressed his condolences and "deep regret" over Lee's death, but added that the investigation, including one questioning which lasted 19 hours, was necessary to thoroughly hear out his side of the case and was done in the presence of Lee’s lawyer.

"The investigation of the deceased was conducted based on specific reports, testimony and evidence and under legally prescribed procedures," Kim said.

Lee had denied that he knowingly took illegal drugs and said he was tricked into doing so by a bar hostess who was trying to blackmail him, local news media reported before his death.

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The 48-year-old actor, who played the wealthy patriarch in the Oscar-winning film "Parasite", had undergone three police questionings since October. The last interrogation on Dec. 23 went on through the night, and saw him leaving the police station early on Christmas eve.

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Film industry colleagues have been visiting the memorial set up at Lee's wake, including Parasite’s director Bong Joon-ho and the Netflix hit series "Squid Game" actor Lee Jung-jae.

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(Production: Daewoung Kim, Jiming Jung, Heejung Jung)