Lee Jihan, a South Korean actor-singer, was killed in the deadly Halloween 2022 stampede in Seoul’s Itaewon district. He was 24. The agency that handled Lee Jihan’s work, 935 Entertainment, confirmed the news. “Actor Lee Jihan, a precious family member of 935 Entertainment and 9 Ato Entertainment, has become a star in the sky and left us,” the statement said. We would like to express our heartfelt condolences to his family, who are in deep grief as a result of the actor’s untimely death.”
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Former “Produce 101 Season 2” Contestant #LeeJiHan Confirmed To Have Passed Away In Itaewonhttps://t.co/omJ1CHLcrj pic.twitter.com/PtiNY2PbQb
— Soompi (@soompi) October 30, 2022
In a stampede that occurred in a narrow downhill alley in Seoul, at least 151 people were killed and over 100 were injured. It was the first big Halloween party since most Covid restrictions were lifted.
President Yoon Suk-yeol of South Korea has declared a national day of mourning. He went on to say that the government would cover the medical bills of those injured in the stampede.
On Saturday, scenes of chaos and panic erupted in Seoul, South Korea’s capital, as a massive stampede broke out during the city’s first Halloween event in three years, killing more than 151 people and injuring dozens. The incident occurred in Seoul’s Itaewon district when partygoers dressed in masks and Halloween costumes surged into a narrow alley in a nightlife district.
Grim footage from the scene of the incident was captured in a video tweeted by allkpop, a local media company that primarily covers K-pop or Korean pop news. The video showed people lying on the road unconscious as rescue/fire personnel pressed on their chests to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in an attempt to resuscitate them. According to reports, some people suffered cardiac arrest as a result of the incident.
[Breaking] Nightmare in #Itaewon. Current status is that over 50 people have collapsed and possible multiple fatalities due to overcrowding during the Halloween festivities. Stay tuned for more info. pic.twitter.com/NhvVqnHlkl
— allkpop (@allkpop) October 29, 2022
According to the Associated Press, up to 150 people were injured in what was South Korea’s worst disaster in years, where an estimated 100,000 people had gathered for the festivities. According to local news outlet Yonhap, citing authorities, the majority of the victims are in their twenties, and officials fear the death toll will rise further. According to South Korea’s fire department, 19 foreigners were among those killed.