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Organiser dies by suicide after South Korean concert tragedy
By Chris Cooke | Published on Monday 20 October 2014
A man involved in the organisation of an open air pop concert in South Korea that ended in tragedy on Friday, when a ventilation grate on which some audience members were standing collapsed, was found dead this weekend, having seemingly died by suicide.
Sixteen people died after the ventilation grid gave way during a performance by K-Pop group 4Minute in the city of Seongnam, just 12-13 miles from the South Korean capital Seoul. There was reportedly a 20m drop beneath the grid, and its collapse led to eleven others being seriously injured, eight of which are being treated for life-threatening injuries.
4Minute, who were not aware of the incident until sometime later, subsequently issued a statement via their management that reads: “We can’t express how regretful we are for what happened. The performance wasn’t solely a 4Minute show, but a stage shared by many artists for an event. During their performance, none of the members or staff were aware of the accident and finished their complete set. It wasn’t until they arrived back in Seoul that they heard of the news regarding the accident”.
According to the Mirror, the man found dead this weekend, named as Mr Oh, was one of sixteen involved in organising the show who were subsequently interviewed by police. He was seemingly an employee of the Gyeonggi Institute Of Science And Technology Promotion, a sponsor of the concert, and had some responsibility for safety measures.
Local media report Oh took his own life by jumping from a building nearby the concert site, while local officials say he left a note that said: “I apologise to the victims. I’m sorry to my family”.
A police investigation into the circumstances around the tragedy is ongoing.