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Firefighter who responded to 2022 Itaewon crowd crush found dead

Published: 20 Aug. 2025, 13:20 Updated: 20 Aug. 2025, 17:03

SHIN MIN-HEE
[email protected]

A firefighter who went missing on Aug. 10 [SCREEN CAPTURE]

A missing firefighter known for responding to the Itaewon crowd crush in 2022 was found dead on Wednesday.

Authorities had been searching for the 30-year-old firefighter since he disappeared on Aug. 10 at 2:30 a.m. after parking his car on the right shoulder of the road near the Nam Incheon Tollgate.

Firefighter who responded to 2022 crowd crush goes missing

The Siheung Police Precinct located the firefighter’s body around 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday underneath a highway pier in Geumi-dong, Siheung, Gyeonggi. His body was already in a state of decomposition, police said.

Police plan to investigate whether there was foul play and determine the exact cause of death.

The firefighter responded to the Itaewon crowd crush, which killed 150 people and injured nearly 200.

Before disappearing, he left notes for friends and family expressing regret and hopelessness, according to police.

In a past interview, the firefighter recalled it being “unbearable placing the deceased in the black zone” during the Itaewon tragedy.

“My parents found it difficult just knowing I had been there — I can only imagine how the victims’ parents felt. I remember thinking, ‘I wish this weren’t real.’”

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [[email protected]]