The Halloween stampede and crowd crush accident at Itaewon has become a fatal tragedy, causing young promising actor Lee Ji Han to be one of the victims. Today, more cause and stories have finally revealed regarding what happened at the Itaewon tragedy. Check out the following details for the complete stories.
“Season of Kkok Du” Halts Filming to Mourn Lee Ji Han Passing at the Itaewon Tragedy
Promising young actor and former Produce 101 contestant Lee Ji Han was one of the fallen victims at the Itaewon tragedy. His agency, 935 Entertainment, and fellow Produce 101 contestants confirmed the news.
The passing of promising young actor Lee Ji Han at the Itaewon tragedy is a huge loss in the Korean entertainment industry. Kim Jung Hyun comeback drama with Im Soo Hyang, “Season of Kkok Du” even decided to halt the filming to mourn the passing of Lee Ji Han. After all, Lee Ji Han was supposed to play Han Gye Jeol’s (Im Soo Hyang) ex-boyfriend, Jung Yi Deun.
Until recently, Lee Ji Han was still filming “Season of Kkok Du” with Kim Jung Hyun and Im Soo Hyang. Unfortunately, the Itaewon tragedy took him away too soon, and he couldn’t even finish all his remaining scenes.
As of today, the “Season of Kkok Du” production team has yet to decide on any replacement options.
“Season of Kkok Du” Cast Paid Condolences for the Loss of Lee Ji Han due to Itaewon Tragedy
Following the passing of young actor Lee Ji Han at the Itaewon tragedy, “Season of Kkok Du” cast Kim Jung Hyun and Im Soo Hyang paid their visit to the mortuary.
Naver news reported on November 1 that both actors visited the funeral home of a hospital in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi, together with the cast and crew of “Season of Kkok Du”. They wanted to pay respects and bid their goodbyes to the fellow cast who had been filming with them until recently.
According to a representative, the loss of Lee Ji Han brought enormous grief to the whole production team. After all, Lee Ji Han had only completed filming for his role for about 10 episodes. The time spent with him was so precious for “Season of Kkok Du” cast and crew, including Kim Jung Hyun and Im Soo Hyang. Both actors reportedly were in great mourning.
“The actors, including Kim Jung Hyun and Im Soo Hyang, experienced great shock and heartbreak. We sincerely for more support and prayers for the fallen victims rather than malicious comments.”
“Season of Kkok Du” production team.
Im Soo Hyang Bids Her Farewell to Lee Ji Han in a Personal Letter
After visiting the mortuary of Lee Ji Han, actress Im Soo Hyang bid her farewell to the promising actor with a personal letter.
In the letter, Im Soo Hyang stated that she was supposed to have a whole day of filming with Lee Ji Han. But then, the Itaewon tragedy had to take him away.
Im Soo Hyang also described how Lee Ji Han’s parents held her hands, telling stories of how the young actor happily bragged about her praising him.
Finally, she promised that “Season of Kkok Du” production team would work even harder for Lee Ji Han’s sake. And she expressed her condolences for all Itaewon tragedy victims.
Rumors about the Cause of Lee Ji Han Presence at Itaewon Tragedy: Saving a Little Girl?
A few days after the passing of Lee Ji Han due to the Itaewon tragedy, rumors started circulating about the cause of his presence at the scene.
According to an anonymous witness, Lee Ji Han was on his way home when he passed Itaewon. He did not plan to attend the Halloween festival. Instead, he was simply going home after concluding his filming for the day. After all, Lee Ji Han’s home was reportedly located around Itaewon area.
The witness then stated that on his way home, Lee Ji Han saw a little girl getting stuck in the crowd. That was when he decided to help and rescue the girl. But, unfortunately, the rescue effort had to cost his life.
At the end of the day, the little girl went home safely. Her family also reportedly paid respects to Lee Ji Han and expressed their immense gratitude to the young actor’s family.
MORE Cause Revealed: Insufficient Police Force Despite Dozens of Reports
In addition to the tragic stories behind the passing of young actor Lee Ji Han, more cause revealed behind Itaewon tragedy.
A post in an online community revealed that during Itaewon Halloween festival, the public had filed dozens of reports to the local police. These reports requested the same thing from the police: dispatching more officers for better crowd control.
In addition, numerous transcripts appeared on the post from multiple citizens warning and requesting more police for the crowd surge.
Collection of Public Reports to the Police Requesting More Crowd Control
In these reports, people mentioned details about the situation and location at Itaewon. Each of them also requested more police presence to control and break up the crowd so it wouldn’t get more dangerous.
(1) 22.10.29 6:34 pm
— Jeongmin Kim (@jeongminnkim) November 1, 2022
= … that alley, people going up and down, looks so precarious. People can’t come down and [others are] keep being pushed upwards, feels like [ppl] would be crushed do death. I barely got out, so much crowd, think [police] control needed pic.twitter.com/g3uPA4xCxM
However, even when the police were there, the number of officers was not enough to control the massive crowd surge. A viral video showed a desperate police officer shouting his heart out, pleading the people to stop approaching the alley.
Still, more and more people flocked the Itaewon alley even when the stampede tragedy had occurred.
The situation was in complete contrast to the previous year, especially when a video from 2021 Itaewon Halloween festival appeared. The video showed numerous police officers standing by on the streets of Itaewon to control the crowd movement. And they did it even on narrow streets.
However, in 2022, only a few police officers appeared on the streets of Itaewon despite knowing that this year’s Halloween festival would be more massive with huge crowds gathering.
South Korean Government Receives More Criticism for Being the Cause of Itaewon Stampede Tragedy
The lack of police manpower at the scene of tragedy at Itaewon resulted in the public’s fury toward the South Korean government.
In fact, some even pointed out that the police had indeed experienced a shortage of officers. That was because President Yoon Seok Yeol—under the suggestion and advice from his shaman—had moved his office to Yongsan. This office relocation resulted in 700 Yongsan police officers to be responsible for his protection. And since Itaewon is reportedly under the jurisdiction of Yongsan police, fewer officers were available to secure the Halloween festival.
As a result, the public believes the government is the main cause of the whole Itaewon tragedy. If the office relocation didn’t happen, more police officers would be available to secure the area.
Top Officials Apologize and Admit that Insufficient Police was Indeed the Cause
Eventually, following the massive criticism from Korea and the global public, top officials of South Korean government bowed in apology. They all admitted that the government’s lack of response was the main cause of why Itaewon tragedy happened.
Apology from National Police Commissioner
Commissioner of South Korean National Police Yoon Hee Keun admitted there had been preliminary signs and reports before the tragedy happened. And he admitted that responses from the police were insufficient.
“I feel heavy responsibility for the people who must be in great shock. We confirmed multiple 112 emergency reports alerting the severity of the situation at the scene right before the incident. And It is judged that the response in the field handling emergency calls was insufficient.”
National Police Commissioner Yoon Hee Keun.
Apology from Minister Lee Sang Min for Previous Insensitive Remarks
At the same time, Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang Min bowed and apologized for his previous remark. Stating the disaster was unpreventable drew more criticism towards the officials, so he apologized for what he had said.
“I would like to take this opportunity to offer a sincere apology to the public as the minister responsible for the safety of the people for this accident.
I know that quite a few people have been hurt by what I said during a recent press briefing. As a Cabinet member and father, this accident is devastating and regrettable.”
Lee Sang Min.
Seoul Mayor and President Yoon
At last, Mayor of Seoul Oh Se Hoon expressed his apology in a tearful speech during a press conference. He offered his deepest condolences and claimed unlimited responsibility. He also promised to provide full support to the victims’ families.
South Korean President Yoon Seok Yeol, on the other hand, ordered to strengthen the safety prevention measures and demanded the ministers to feel “heavy responsibility” in a cabinet meeting.
He also visited the victims’ memorial altar with his wife.
“My sadness and grief are beyond control. I will do my best to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.”
President Yoon’s message on the guest book.
Finally, team of writers at Kpoppost would again like to offer our deepest condolences for everyone who lost their loved ones during the Itaewon tragedy. May all the fallen victims rest in peace.
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More About Itaewon Halloween Tragedy:
- Itaewon Stampede was ENTIRELY Preventable: What Happened + FULL Testimony from Yoon Hong Bin
- MORE Victims & HOW Did It Happen?! COMPLETE Details & Evidence of Itaewon Accident Turning into Fatal Tragedy
- 15 Kpop Events that Have Been Canceled or Postponed Following Tragedy at the Itaewon Halloween Festival
- Produce 101 S2 Contestant and Young Actor Lee Ji Han Passed Away During the Itaewon Tragedy
- What REALLY Happened Behind Lethal Stampede Accident in Itaewon Festival – SM Halloween Party 2022 CANCELED!
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