Former Produce 101 Season 2 contestant Lee Ji Han is confirmed to be among the 154 casualties of the Itaewon Halloween crowd crush tragedy that happened on Saturday night, October 29, 2022.
He was only 24 years old.
On Sunday night, October 30, South Korea's Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters confirmed that the death toll has risen to 154 and that 132 were injured during the tragedy.
Ji Han's agency 935 Entertainment confirmed the sad news in an exclusive statement sent to South Korean news agency Xports News.
Their statement reads, as translated to English by Koreaboo: "It is true that Lee Ji Han died during the Itaewon accident on October 29.
"We hoped that it wasn’t true, but when we heard the news, we were extremely shocked.
"We are going about this carefully as his family is in great sorrow. We pray for the deceased."
In an Instagram post on Sunday night, 935 Entertainment described Ji Han as someone "sweet and warm friend to all."
The talent management agency added that Ji Han "shined beautifully with a passionate passion for acting"
Ji Han's fellow Produce 101 Season 2 contestants Park Hee-Seok, Kim Do-Hyun, and Jo Jin-Hyeong (who now goes by the name VIZO) have taken to Instagram Stories to share details of his wake and funeral and express their sympathies to the family and loved ones he left behind.
Their post read, as translated to English by Koreaboo:
"Obituary
"The deceased: Lee JiHan
"October 30, 2022
"Ji Han has left this world to go to a comfortable place.
"Please say goodbye to him as he goes to his final place.
"Chief Mourners: Lee Jong Cheol, Cho Mi Eun, Lee Ga Young"
According to Hee-Seok and Do-Hyun's posts, Ji Han's wake will take place at Hwajeong Myongji Funeral Home located in Deokyang-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, starting Monday, October 31.
He will be laid to rest at 1:30 p.m. on November 1.
Hee-Seok added, "As space is limited, visitors to his funeral will be allowed starting at 2pm tomorrow."
In his post, Do Hyun added (translated using Google Translate): "I pray for the rest of those who left too early due to the Itaewon disaster. I can't even fathom the feelings of the bereaved family members left behind, but I express my deepest condolences."
Ji Han joined the K-Pop idol search Produce 101 Season 2 in 2017. He competed alongside Kang Daniel, Park Ji-Hoon, Lee Dae-Hwi, Kim Jae-Hwan, Ong Seong-Wu, Park Woo-Jin, Lai Kuan-Lin, Yoon Ji-Sung, Hwang Min-Hyun, Bae Jin-Young, and Ha Sung-Woon, who later debuted as Wanna One.
He ranked 98th in the show and was among the first batch of idol hopefuls who have been eliminated early in the competition. After participating in the idol survival show, he starred in the web drama Today Was Another Nam Hyun Day in 2019.
READ MORE: