Korean actor Yoo Ah-in has vehemently denied that he caused the horrific Itaewon Halloween celebration tragedy, which claimed 156 lives as of this writing.
As the Korean government focused on what caused the crowd crush in a narrow alley in Itaewon, Seoul on the night of Oct. 29, rumors spread online.
One of them was that Korean celebrities and influencers caused the tragedy as they attracted the crowd in Itaewon.
One of those mentioned was Yoo Ah-in, a resident of Itaewon, star of the dramas “Hellbound” and “Chicago Typewriter,” and the Netflix film “Seoul Vibe.”
UAA, his agency, issued a statement on Nov. 1 to deny the rumor, saying the actor was not in Korea when the tragedy happened.
"Yoo Ah-in left on October 29 and is currently staying abroad. He has nothing to do with the Itaewon disaster,” the agency said.
Authorities are investigating to find out what or who triggered the crowd crush, which also injured 152 others.
The number of those who got killed in the incident rose by one on Nov. 1. Of the 156 who were killed including 26 foreigners, 101 were women and 55 men.
Among those who were killed were actor Lee Jihan, who was a contestant in the survival audition show “Produce 101” season 2 in 2017, and cheerleader Kim Yuna.