Lee Jihan, a K-Pop singer and actor, was among those who died in the crowd crush in Seoul, South Korea on Saturday.
On Sunday, 935 Entertainment and 9Ato Entertainment, the star’s management companies, confirmed the news. He was 24.
“We are sad to deliver such news today, but Lee Jihan has passed away in the crush in Itaewon last night,” the statement reads, reports Entertainment Tonight. “We would like to express our deepest condolences to his family, who are saddened by the sudden tragic news, also to everyone who loved him.”
Jihan, born on 3 August 1998, made his first big move in the Korean entertainment industry by competing in the second season of the Korean singing competition Produce 101, in which 101 K-pop hopefuls competed for a spot in an 11-member boy band. He later moved into acting in 2019, starring in TV show Today Was Another Nam Hyun Day.
More than 150 people were killed in the Itaewon crush, and at least 132 others are believed to have been injured, with 37 in critical condition. Officials are concerned the death toll will rise further. According to Choi Seong-beom, chief of Seoul’s Yongsan fire department, those killed or injured were mostly teenagers and people in their 20s.
The Korean government has declared a national mourning period until 5 November. In light of the tragedy, several K-pop music releases and events have been cancelled or postponed.
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