South Korean actress Lee Young-ae offers help to send body of Itaewon crush victim home to Russia

This article is more than 12 months old

Nov 04, 2022 06:47 pm

South Korean actress Lee Young-ae has offered to help the family of a Russian victim who was killed in the Itaewon crush last Saturday.

Halloween revellers were caught in the deadly tragedy in the nightlife district in Seoul and at least 156 people have died, including 26 foreigners – one of whom was 25-year-old Yuliana Park from Russia.

According to a report from South Korean news outlet Newsis on Thursday, her father, a third-generation ethnic Korean living in Russia, spoke to the media about the costs required to transport her body home.

A worker in a nursing home, he said he was unable to raise the US$5,000 (S$7,078) needed to cover the cost of domestic and international transportation, embalmment and other logistics.

In response, Lee, 51, released a statement via the Korea Foundation for Persons with Disabilities, relaying her intention to provide financial aid to Ms Park’s family.

Lee, best known for her roles in K-drama Jewel In The Palace (2003) and psychological thriller film Sympathy For Lady Vengeance (2005), chairs the foundation’s committee on culture and the arts.

(Clockwise from top left) Lee Kang-sheng in Stranger Eyes, Vincent Cassel and Diane Kruger in The Shrouds, Bae Doona in Barking Dogs Never Bite, and Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton in The Room Next Door.

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Earlier this week, K-drama actor Yoo Ah-in’s agency refuted speculation that a celebrity sighting of him had triggered the crowd surge, saying he was out of the country.

In his latest Instagram post on Thursday, Yoo, who starred in coming-of-age film Punch (2011) and horror-fantasy series Hellbound (2021), seemed to indirectly respond to the rumours and also to the attacks on social media.

The 36-year-old posted a photo of city night lights with a lengthy caption in Korean, with one part that read: “The dog is barking louder than its crying owner… Shut up, you should be ashamed, please think about it with your heart.”

Yoo also alluded to media coverage of the tragedy, writing that “unceasing images of extinguished lives” are “used as weapons, shields, material, snacks, stumbling blocks”.

He expressed his sorrow, presumably for the victims and their families, and added: “I wish I could touch those whose hearts are in pain by tapping the screen. I love you.”