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Mother of Korean actor Lee Ji Han, who died in Itaewon tragedy, pens heartbreaking letter
The mother of Lee Ji Han — the South Korean singer and actor who died in the Itaewon crush — has penned a heartbreaking letter for her son.
The letter was posted on the late celebrity’s Instagram account.
"I'm Ji Han's mom," she said in a translation posted by AllKpop. "I wrote a letter like this just in case Ji Han could read it somewhere. I wanted to share this with everyone so that an event like this never happens again."
She said that Ji Han has been soft, kind, and handsome ever since he was born, and that he put a lot of effort into his work, not skipping daily exercise and controlling his diet.
Before his death, Ji Han was set to be part of the drama “Season of Kkokdu” in a supporting role.
“It was finally time for the effort to pay off, and the show was about to air. What a bolt out of the blue. I still can't believe it because what happened is so dumbfounding,” she said.
“When I fall asleep holding onto your phone with your picture by my bedside, your mom's heart is pounding because I'm afraid of the sun rising. My first treasure who would say, 'Do you know how much I love you, Mom?' when I'd come into your room and would hold my hand once in a while,” she added.
The grieving mother questioned why he had to pass away before her.
"At your funeral, when I saw the hundreds of acquaintances and friends who loved you, I felt even more overwhelmed by the thought ‘Our Ji Han was living well,’ and I didn't want to search for the meaning of life anymore," she said.
She added that her son was very selfless, and that she “didn't know [he] also were also doing volunteer work.”
She then expressed her grief and anger at what happened, especially since there was no proper control of the stampede.
“Should I be thankful for it when police cars and motorcycles escorted your coffin-laden limousine? Or if they had escorted you well in the alley in Itaewon, you wouldn't have had to be escorted when you died,” she said.
“I'm so angry and resentful. I love you, son. I respect you, son. I miss you, son. Good job, son," she added.
As a painful conclusion, she wrote, “Can't we see each other again? God, take me instead and return our Ji Han. I beg you. I hope you are doing well there, son, comfortably and painlessly. Mom will follow you someday."
Ji Han entered showbiz as a contestant on “Produce 101” in 2017. The 24-year-old made his acting debut on "Today Was Another Nam Hyun Day."
In the Itaewon tragedy on Halloween weekend, more than 150 people died due to a crowd crush. —Nika Roque/JCB, GMA Integrated News
