Remembering Lee Ji-han, the star caught in Seoul’s Halloween stampede: the 24-year-old was a budding K-drama and K-pop idol filming a new series before he tragically died in the Itaewon crowd crush
- Over 150 young partygoers died after a crowd crush in the popular Seoul nightlife district on October 29 – sadly a far cry from the iconic Halloween celebration scene in Itaewon Class
- Victim Lee Ji-han was a budding celebrity who made his start in Mnet’s audition show Produce 101; stars from Psy and G-Dragon to Enhypen expressed their condolences for the accident
Remember when Park Sae-ro-yi found his first love Oh Soo-ah dancing and partying in a Halloween costume on the streets of Itaewon in the hit Korean series Itaewon Class? That scene – the fun and games, music and entertainment, cool costumes, diverse crowd and hip, young energy – was supposed to be what comes to mind when picturing Halloween in the happening Seoul neighbourhood.
And yet October 29, 2022 – the Saturday of this year’s Halloween weekend – in Itaewon will instead become known as a historical tragedy after at least 154 young partygoers died from being caught in a crowd crush while celebrating. Most of them were reportedly in their twenties.
Many victims have already been identified, and one was revealed to be Lee Ji-han, a South Korean actor-singer. The news was confirmed by his agencies, 935 Entertainment and 9Ato Entertainment. He was only 24.
The world mourns Lee’s passing and the bright future he would’ve had. We remember him by looking back at his glittering career to date …
Lee Ji-han began his career on a K-pop idol survival show
Per Billboard, Lee was a trainee under Pan Entertainment when he auditioned for Produce 101 in 2017. He performed a cover of Exo’s Overdose and became one of the contenders in the second season, where he took part in a group performance of Infinite’s Be Mine with some of his cast mates. In the fifth episode, however, Lee was eliminated.
He was a promising actor
