Steven Blesi was always looking for an adventure and he found one when he decided to study abroad in South Korea, his father said.
“He always had this adventure spirit. He always used to talk about us going on an adventure,” Steve Blesi told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Tuesday. “This was his first big adventure and actually postponed a couple of years because of the pandemic.”
Credit: Family of Steven Blesi
Credit: Family of Steven Blesi
Blesi, an international business major, was one of 11 students from Kennesaw State University as part of a study abroad program. On Oct. 29, the Marietta native died when a Halloween party crowd surged into a narrow alley in a nightlife district in Seoul. More than 150 people were killed.
In a statement, KSU said the other students were reported safe. University of Kentucky student Anne Gieske, who was also studying in South Korea, was among the victims, the school said.
Blesi said his son and Gieske knew each other and had gone to the event together. The two can be seen in pictures together on Gieske’s Instagram page.
“My son and the other American killed, who he was with, they died a horrible death,” Blesi said.
South Korean officials admitted responsibility and apologized Tuesday for failures in preventing and responding to the crowd surge, the Associated Press reported. National police chief Yoon Hee Keun said initial investigations found there were calls from citizens notifying authorities of potential dangers with the growing crowds but police officers who received the calls failed to handle them effectively.
“I feel a heavy responsibility (for the disaster) as the head of one of the related government offices,” Yoon said in a televised news conference. “Police will do their best to prevent a tragedy like this from happening again.”
Blesi said he received a call from his brother on Saturday asking if he had heard what happened in Seoul and if Steven was okay. He knew his son and friends were planning to go out and celebrate after midterm exams but didn’t know they were going to go to the Halloween event.
“I know you are out and about, be safe, I love you,” Steve texted. He never got a response back.
Credit: Family of Steven K
Credit: Family of Steven K
For hours, Blesi said they continued to call his son’s phone until a police officer answered and told him the phone was with the police along with hundreds of other phones recovered from the scene. Blesi said they began to worry once they contacted the education abroad network and found out Steven wasn’t in his dorm.
The U.S. Embassy informed Blesi and his family that Steven was among those killed.
Blesi said he is angry about the way South Korean authorities responded and handled the event. He said the family is working with the embassy to have his son’s body cremated and the remains sent to a local funeral home.
“People have asked him if I’m going to go to Seoul to retrieve his remains. If I go to Seoul, I’ll end up in jail,” Blesi said. “The cops completely failed us there. They didn’t do their job and there should be held responsible.”
Blesi said his son was “an incredible soul” who made friends easily anywhere he went. Steven attended Lassiter High School and many of his friends have visited the grieving family to offer condolences, show support and share stories about him. New friends he made in South Korea have reached out, too.
“He valued friendship incredibly and he was a great friend to all that knew him,” Blesi said.
Credit: Family of Steven Blesi
Credit: Family of Steven Blesi
Blesi said his other son, Joey, was Steven’s best friend. The two were inseparable growing up.
“They looked after each other, supported each other, played together, just incredible soulmates,” he said. “We know life has to go on but it will never be the same.”
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