Festival organizer dies of apparent suicide after tragedy

By Lee Ji-hye

A man involved in organizing an outdoor music festival where 16 people died in an accident Friday, was found dead early Saturday in Seongnam, south of Seoul, in an apparent suicide.

Police said that the man identified by his surname Oh is believed to have jumped to his death from the top of a 10-floor building at around 7:00 a.m.

Oh, 37, had earlier undergone police questioning in connection with the tragedy, reports said.

The accident occurred Friday during a performance by K-pop group 4Minute, when a ventilation grate collapsed under the weight of the people standing on it. In addition to those who died, 11 others were seriously injured after they plunged some 20 meters down the shaft.

Police said Oh was an employee of Gyeonggi Institute of Science and Technology Promotion, a sponsor of the event.

CCTV footage from an adjacent building showed Oh climbing the emergency stairs of the 10-story building at around 6:50 a.m., the police said.

Both incidents took place in Pangyo Techno Valley, a multi-purpose complex for technology firms.

Yonhap News Agency reported that Oh appeared to have posted an apology online before his death.

“I lived to my best, but something happened that I couldn’t even imagine,” Oh wrote, according to Yonhap. “I’m sorry to my colleagues and apologetic towards those that died in the accident.”

Fire officials said that most of the people who died were commuters who stopped to watch the musical performance after leaving work.