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A Kennesaw State University student on an international study trip was among those killed in a stampede in Seoul that left 156 people dead Oct. 29.
Steven Blesi, 20, was an adventurous international business major who reportedly wanted to work in East Asia after graduation.
He was one of 11 students KSU students in Korea, many of them on a summer program at Hanyang University, a private research institution. All others were reported safe the day after the incident, according to a statement by the university.
Blesi’s father, Steve Blesi, meanwhile, had posted a Twitter message asking for information on the whereabouts of his son, who the elder Mr. Blesi knew had been in the popular nightlife district when the tragic incident occurred.
He later posted a heartbreaking tweet: “We just got confirmation our son died.”
Other students who said they knew Steven tweeted that they had left the area minutes before, wondering if they’d have been able to help if they had been there with him.
My friend Steven Blesi died last night. We are both students from KSU and in the same exchange program at Hanyang university. I was supposed to go and meet other friends last night then meet up with him. I decided last minute to stay home and rest.
— @K1TT3HK4T (@k1tt3hk4t) October 30, 2022
Another American student who was friends with Steven — Anne Gieske, also 20, from the University of Kentucky — lost her life in the tragedy, minutes after posting a picture online with her friend.
The incident occurred as an estimated 100,000 people crowded into the alleys of Itaewon, a popular area for foreigners bracing for its first Halloween celebration after the lifting of COVID restrictions. Some partygoers made distressed warning calls to police about the crowds up to four hours before the crush occurred.
The majority of victims suffocated were in their 20s and 30s, according to news outlets, citing Korean authorities who also said that 26 of the dead were foreigners. The country has declared a national mourning period and launched an investigation into why the local police did not have sufficient crowd-control measures in place.
Kennesaw State offered “all available resources” to the Blesi family and made counseling available to students back on campus in Atlanta.
“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 Kennesaw State University President Kathy Schwaig in a statement.
Along with President Joe Biden, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp noted that his family was keeping the Blesis and the Kennesaw State community in their prayers.
“We join them in mourning his passing and ask that God comfort them with cherished memories of this native Georgian,” Mr. Kemp said on Twitter.
Both U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia and Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissioner Pat Wilson offered their condolences to the Korean during a grand opening celebration for Korean-owned manufacturing plant in Covington Tuesday.
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