Korean singer-actor Lee Ji Han confirmed dead from Itaewon stampede
Actor Lee Ji Han, who is known for being a contestant in the second season of the reality show Produce 101, is among the victims of the tragic Halloween stampede in South Korea that killed more than 150 people.
On Oct. 29, a crowd surge and crush happened in the capital's popular Itaewon district and resulted in the deaths of 153 people and injuring 133, according to the latest report of Yonhap News Agency.
Based from eyewitness accounts, the people were scrambling to get out of the suffocating crowd until they eventually started piling on top of one another. The paramedics were quickly overwhelmed by the number of victims that they began to ask passers-by to administer first aid.
Among the victims of the tragedy is 24-year-old Ji Han, as confirmed by his agency 935 Entertainment.
"It’s true that Ji Han passed away due to the accident in Itaewon on October 29," the agency confirmed, as translated by Korean pop culture site Soompi.
"We also hoped that it wasn’t true, and we were very shocked to hear the news. The family is suffering immense grief right now, so we are being very cautious. May he rest in peace," they added.
935엔터테인먼트&9아토엔터테인먼트 입니다. pic.twitter.com/3Qgmu69hXo
— 935Entertainment (@935ent) October 30, 2022
The public had first gotten hold of Ji Han’s passing when several of his Produce 101 Season 2 castmates such as Park Hee Seok, Kim Do Hyun, and Cho Jin Hyung shared the sad news on their Instagram Stories, writing, "Ji Han has left this world and gone to a comfortable place. We ask that you say goodbye to him on his final path."
Ji Han's wake will take place at the Myeongji Hospital Funeral Hall No. 8. He is set to be buried on Nov. 1.
The Korean actor first entered showbiz in the spring of 2019 in the web drama The Butterfly Dream. He went on to join K-Pop idol search Produce 101 Season 2 in 2017, where he ended up at the 98th place in the show.
