A Kennesaw State University student has been reported among the more than 150 people killed in Seoul, South Korea, when a huge Halloween party crowd surged into a narrow alley in a nightlife district this weekend.
Steven Blesi, a Marietta native and KSU junior who was studying abroad in Seoul, was among two Americans reported as victims of the tragedy in the Itaewon area.
Most of the victims were young adults, and another college student was the other American. The University of Kentucky announced student Anne Gieske’s death. She was studying in South Korea as part of an education abroad program.
“Kennesaw State University officials were deeply saddened to learn that KSU student Steven Blesi was among the more than 150 people tragically killed in this weekend’s Halloween incident in Seoul, South Korea,” the university said in a statement released to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Blesi was an international business major and was one of 11 students from KSU in South Korea as part of a study abroad program. All other KSU students are reported safe, the university’s statement indicated.
“On behalf of the entire Kennesaw State community, our thoughts and prayers go out to Steven’s family and friends as they mourn this incomprehensible loss,” said KSU President Kathy Schwaig.
KSU will make counseling available to students impacted by the tragedy.
Steve Blesi told The Washington Post and The New York Times that his son Steven had a spirit of adventure. On Twitter, he thanked people for their outpouring of support.
Blesi tweeted out Saturday that his son Steven was in the area of the stampeded in Seoul and could not reach him. Shortly after midnight, Blesi confirmed his son had died.
“I feel like I have a hole in me. A big hole in my chest,” Blesi, told Channel 2 Action News after he received the news about his son. “It’s like being in a nightmare that you can’t wake up from.”
Blesi described his son as a “great young man with a big heart” who never said anything bad about anyone and was “full of love and loved by many”.
President Joe Biden expressed condolences to the families of the Americans killed.
“Jill and I are devastated to learn that at least two Americans are among so many who lost their lives in Seoul,” the president said in a tweet Sunday afternoon.
As of Sunday evening, officials said 153 people were killed and 133 were injured. Nearly two-thirds of those killed — 97 — were women. More than 80% of the dead were in their 20s and 30s, and at least four were teenagers.
— Please return to AJC.com for updates on this developing story.
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