Korean actor and “Produce 101” season 2 alumnus Lee Jihan, who died in the Itaewon crowd crush that happened on Oct. 29, was laid to rest on Nov. 1.
Lee Jihan was one of the 156 people including 26 foreigners who died when tens of thousands of people celebrated Halloween in Itaewon, Seoul, a multicultural district that has many bars, restaurants and shops.
The horrific tragedy happened when people crammed a narrow alley that resulted in a crowd crush. Of the 156 who were killed, 101 were women and 55 were men.
Lee Jihan’s funeral was held at the Myongji Hospital Funeral Hall in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province near Seoul.
According to a Korean media report, Lee Jihan’s family, friends and acquaintances attended the funeral held at 1:30 p.m. KST (12:30 p.m. in the Philippines).
His family cried as the funeral proceeded. When his photo and coffin were loaded onto the funeral car, his father screamed and collapsed on the floor. The family and friends who were there cried and called out his name.
He was a contestant in the survival audition show “Produce 101” season 2 in 2017 and made his acting debut in 2019 in the web drama “Today Was Another Nam Hyun Day.”
The 24-year-old actor finished filming for the upcoming drama “Season of Kkokdu,” which will star actress Im Soo-hyang and actor Kim Jung-hyun.
The two and the drama crew went to the wake of Lee Jihan on Oct. 31. Korean media reported that Lee Jihan had finished filming about 10 episodes of “Season of Kkokdu.”
In the drama, he took on the role of Im Soo-hyang’s former boyfriend. Due to his death, the filming for the drama was stopped.
Im Soo-hyang, who starred in the dramas “ID: Gangnam Beauty” and “When I Was The Most Beautiful,” took to Instagram to pay tribute to Lee Jihan.
"I was originally scheduled to film with you all day yesterday, but after the news, we all gathered at your mortuary and sat there for a long time without saying anything,” she said, SBS News reported.
She added, "I know how hard you worked and wanted to do well, so I was so sad that you left us so soon.”
“Your parents held my hands, saying that you boasted about me complimenting your acting. I cried for a long time because I was sad that I should have said more words of support to you, and taken care of you more."
The actress said, "It is tragic to say farewell to my colleague, but I promise to think about you and work harder for you, so that you can be proud of me up there. I hope you're well now."