A police officer was arrested Thursday for allegedly leaking information on a drug probe into late actor Lee Sun-kyun, who took his own life late last year, police said.

The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police's anti-corruption and financial crime unit arrested the officer at the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency earlier in the day on suspicion of leaking a report on the investigation regarding Lee, according to investigative officials.

In January, police began looking into how the information on the probe was leaked to the public. A group of filmmakers, actors and artists called for a probe into whether there was any fault in the security of the police's handling of the information.

Lee, best known for his role in "Parasite," was found dead in his car in central Seoul on Dec. 27, days after he publicly appeared before the police for the third round of questioning on suspicions of using marijuana and other illegal drugs on multiple occasions.

Media first reported on his alleged drug use in October shortly after police booked him for an investigation.

Lee's death raised questions about whether the police compelled him to stand on the press photo line before his questioning sessions and whether Lee deserved the privacy-infringing media reports that followed the investigation. (Yonhap)