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Man who helped rescue Itaewon crowd crush victims in 2022 found dead

Published: 29 Apr. 2026, 22:00

Police logo is seen at a precinct in Seoul [NEWS1]

A man who had helped rescue victims during the 2022 Itaewon crowd crush was found dead on a mountainside in Pocheon, Gyeonggi, police said on Wednesday.

The man's family reportedly filed a missing persons report with the police on Saturday, saying they couldn't reach him.

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He had reportedly left home on April 20 and had not been in contact since.

The man was known to have assisted in rescuing victims during the Itaewon disaster, when a crowd crush in Seoul’s Itaewon neighborhood in Yongsan District, central Seoul, killed more than 150 people during Halloween festivities on Oct. 29, 2022.

No signs of foul play have been found so far, and police plan to investigate the exact cause of death.

If you or someone you know is feeling emotionally distressed or struggling with thoughts of suicide, LifeLine Korea can be contacted at 1588-9191 or the Crisis Counseling Center at 1577-0199. The Seoul Global Center offers English-language counseling, contact 02-2075-4180 (+1) to arrange a session. Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SHIN HYE-YEON [[email protected]]