South Korean Concert Planner Suspected of Suicide After 16 People Died From Falling Through Grate
A man involved in organizing the outdoor concert in South Korea where 16 people died after falling through a ventilation grate was found dead Saturday from an apparent suicide, according to officials.
The 37-year-old man was an employee of the Gyeonggi Institute of Science and Technology Promotion, who were a sponsor of the event. His body was found around 7 a.m. in Seongnam, the same city where the fatal Friday concert occurred.
The 16 people were killed while watching the pop girls' group 4Minute, a popular Asian band. Eleven other concertgoers were seriously injured.
Five of the people killed were women in their 20s and 30s, the rest were all men in their 30s and 40s, according to fire officials. The 11 injured people were taken to the hospital and Seongnam City spokesman Kim Nam-jun said that eight of the wounded sustained life-threatening injuries.
The concert had been organized by Edaily news site and part of a larger local festival. Nearly 700 people were there to take in the performance, which completely stopped after the accident happened.
Police inspector Park Jeong-ju said the man, only identified as Mr. Oh, was questioned by police Friday night after the accident and is believed to have leapt from the top of a 10-story building.
He reportedly left a note before his death simply reading, "I am sorry for the dead victims. Please take a good care of my children."
Video recorded by other music festival attendees have surfaced on the internet showing the ventilation grate collapsing and people falling into the open space below.
This incident is seen as another sign following the ferry disaster in April that more than 300 people died or went missing that South Korea's safety regulations are not being developed at the same rate as their economy is expanding.
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