The horrifying Halloween stampede that occurred in Seoul’s Itaewon area on Saturday claimed the life of South Korean actress and singer Lee Jihan. The company that handled Lee Jihan’s work, 935 Entertainment, confirmed the information. He was 24.
Park Heeseok and Kim Dohyun, former Produce 101 candidates, paid respect to their former castmate on Instagram. They also disclosed details about Jihan’s funeral. Following the young actor’s passing, fans shared their condolences on social media. Psy and Enhypen, two more Korean musicians, have also offered their condolences.
As many as 151 individuals may have perished in the horrifying catastrophe that happened on Saturday, while 82 others sustained injuries. The regrettable events were brought on by the large turnout at the Halloween celebration in Seoul’s Itaewon neighbourhood.
The agency issued an official statement which read, “Actor Lee Jihan, a precious family member of 935 Entertainment and 9 Ato Entertainment, has become a star in the sky and left us. We would like to express our heartfelt condolences to his family, who are in deep grief due to the sudden demise of the actor.”
The statement further read, “Lee Jihan was a sweet and warm friend to all. We can’t believe that we won’t be able to see the infinitely bright and innocent actor Ji-han who always smiled and greeted us anymore”
Lee Jihan rose to popularity after singing competition Produce 101
The late performer, who was 24 years old, became well-known after competing in the Korean singing competition Produce 101. With the television programme Today Was Another Nam Hyun Day, he then made his acting debut.
Meanwhile Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday had shared his condolences after the incident. He had tweeted regarding the incident and written, “Deeply shocked at the loss of so many young lives due to the stampede in Seoul. Our condolences to the families of those who lost their dear ones. We stand in solidarity with the Republic of Korea during this difficult time.”
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol declared national mourning on Sunday. In a statement, Yoon said, “A tragedy and disaster that should not have happened took place in the heart of Seoul last night.” The President also called for reviewing the safety of festivity sites and directed officials to ensure swift treatment for the injured. This was the country’s biggest outdoor Halloween festivities since the pandemic, attended by around 1,00,000 people, mostly youngsters.
It was the first major Halloween celebration since most Covid restrictions were lifted.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has declared a period of national mourning. He added that the government would bear the medical expenses of those who got injured during the crowd stampede.
The President added that the government “will thoroughly investigate the cause of the incident and make fundamental improvements to ensure the same accident does not occur again in the future.”
Jihan was represented by Pan Entertainment as a K-pop trainee. He auditioned for the show with a cover of EXO’s Overdose and was also part of a group performance which sang Infinite’s Be Mine. Jihan was eliminated in the fifth episode.
Following the show, Jihan left Pan and worked with Widmay Entertainment. In 2019, Lee Jihan made his way into acting, making an appearance in the Korean drama series titled Today Was Another Nam Hyun Day.
