The K-Pop singer and K-Drama star, Lee Jihan died in the Itaewon crowd crush tragedy in Seoul, South Korea. He was one among the 154 individuals who breathed their last in a crowd surge on Saturday at Halloween celebrations in the popular Itaewon.
The devastating news was confirmed by the two agencies representing the star, 9Ato Entertainment and 935 Entertainment. Lee Jihan is famous for starring in the Korean Drama titled, Today Was Another Namhyung Day in 2019 and for his appearance in the popular boy band competition Produce 101 in 2017.
According to AFP, 153 people except the singer died in the crowd rush on Saturday. According to the witnesses, thousands of partygoers were packed into the downhill alleyway, which was nearly 3 meters wide. People were also clearly shoving and pushing each other to get through the narrow path with no police to control or direct them.
Whereas few others claimed there were as many as 100,000 people, all youngsters, wearing horrible Halloween costumes, who had poured themselves into the winding streets of Itaewon. They also dubbed the security as “scant” and said there was “no crowd control” at all.
However, the police explained their part stressing the fact that there was a significant increase in the number of attendees when compared to the previous years. They also asserted they had deployed 137 officers to provide protection. However, it is said that many police were focused on drug use rather than crowd control.
Many witnesses explained how they struggled to escape after being trapped in a narrow alleyway. In fact, they even scrambled to get out of the suffocating crowd as they were literally piled on top of one another.
On Monday, the education ministry confirmed that at least 6 youngsters were killed in the rush including 26 foreigners. However, 33 or more individuals were taken to the hospitals due to major and minor injuries.
The professor from the department of Fire and Disaster at the University of Seoul, Lee Young Ju said to the broadcaster TYN, “It was a disaster that could have been prevented or controlled. But, the matter was taken care of with no one ready to take responsibility.”
Apparently, the government also tried to defend the police. However, in the briefing, Interior Minister Lee Sang-min said, “It wasn’t a problem that could have been solved by assigning police or firefighters.”
The government has, anyway, announced a period of national mourning which will last until Nov. 5.
The former Produce 101 contestants Kim Dhyun and Park Heeseok expressed their sorrows sharing an emotional note to their Instagram stories, mentioning their ex-castmate.
On the heels of the tragedy, various K-Pop music releases and other shows have been postponed or canceled.
Artists like ENHYPEN and PSY were among the mourners who were deeply affected by the unexpected demise of Lee-Jihan.
A Twitter user sensibly wrote, “The tragedy that happened in Itaewon is so heartbreaking, and I realized that we must learn how to perform CPR. I’m serious.”
Now, the rumors state that the late actor was about to star in the upcoming MBC drama series titled The Season of Kotaku along with actors Im So Hyang and Kim Jun Hyung. This news has multiplied the impact on Jihad’s early death. He was supposed to play the role of Im So Hyang’s ex-boyfriend in the drama.
Another user penned, “Apparently, actor Lee-Jihad has been one of the victims of the Itaewon tragedy. He was confirmed to appear in an upcoming series. One of SOK’s crew said that 2 days ago that he was filming in Gyeongju with our actor for the drama.
It is certain that his fans must be shedding tears of the river as they will never ever get to see Lee-Jihad acting or singing. The 24-year-old young man had a bright future ahead which he would have made possible if he was alive.
These are sad days for his family and friends who had great expectations from him for all these days. Apparently, he will forever be cherished in the hearts of millions.
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