South Korean actor Lee Ji-han died in the crowd crush that claimed the lives of over 150 people in Itaewon, Seoul over the weekend. He was 24 years old.
On October 30, the agencies 935 Entertainment and 9ato Entertainment confirmed the death of the actor and past Produce 101 contestant due to the crowd crush in Seoul’s Itaewon district on the night of October 29.
“It’s true that Lee Ji-han passed away due to the accident in Itaewon on October 29,” they said in an official statement via XSportsNews, as translated by 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.”
The former agency released another statement on Instagram later that night, writing: “Please send a warm farewell to [Lee], who left us too soon. We will also remember Lee, who shone beautifully with his passion for acting.”
Read the full statement below.
On the night of October 29, throngs of partygoers celebrating Halloween in the popular Itaewon district became caught in a crowd crush. The tragedy has so far claimed 154 lives and injured 149 others, according to Reuters reporting today (October 31). South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has declared a national period of mourning that will last through Saturday (November 5).
News of Lee’s passing began to spread on October 30 after fellow Produce 101 Season 2 contestants Park Hee-seok, Kim Do-hyun and Cho Jin-hyung expressed their condolences to Lee’s loved ones via their Instagram stories.
Lee first came into the spotlight in 2017 as a contestant on Mnet’s idol audition programme Produce 101 Season 2. He later made his debut as an actor as the main lead in the web-series Today Was Another Nam Hyun Day in 2019.
Lee was due to appear in the upcoming MBC drama Season of Kkokdu alongside alongside actors Kim Jung-hyun and Im Soo-hyang, according to Korea JoongAng Daily. Lee had reportedly finished filming his scenes in September.
