SEOUL: Singer-actor Lee Jihan was among the more than 150 people who died on Saturday in a Halloween 2022 stampede in Seoul’s Itaewon district. He was 24.

Jihan’s demise was confirmed by his agency, 935 Entertainment, Deadline reported. “We are sad to deliver such news today, but Lee Ji-han has passed away in the crush in Itaewon,” the company said in a statement to South Korean news outlets.

Jihan was a rising star in the Korean entertainment industry, having competed in the second season of the Korean singing competition Produce 101.

After his stint in a reality show, he began taking on acting roles. In 2019, he appeared in the Korean drama Today Was Another Namhyun Day.

South Korean law enforcement officials are investigating the Saturday night tragedy, which left at least 154 Halloween revelers dead.

The incident reportedly occurred when a large group of people rushed to an Itaewon bar after hearing an unidentified celebrity was visiting there, Al Jazeera reported citing the local media.

Social media footage showed several people being assisted by rescue officials and private citizens at the scene, and many rescue officials performing CPR on people lying in poor condition on the streets. The packed Halloween festivities in South Korea’s capital of Seoul took place after Covid restrictions were removed, the local officials said.
President Yoon Suk Yeol has declared a week-long national mourning period