Northern Kentucky student among those killed in South Korea Halloween crowd surge

By WLWT Staff

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    LEXINGTON, Kentucky (WLWT) — A northern Kentucky woman who was a nursing student at the University of Kentucky was among those killed after a huge Halloween party crowd surged in South Korea.

University President Eli Capilouto first announced on Sunday that the student, Anne Gieske, was among the more than 150 people killed in the crowd surge at a traditional Halloween gathering in Seoul, South Korea.

Gieske was a junior nursing student from Fort Mitchell, Kentucky, who was studying in South Korea this semester with an education abroad program.

She graduated in 2021 from Beechwood High School where she was a prominent member of the marching band, Beechwood High School Principal Justin Kaiser said.

Gieske also volunteered during the summer with the Marching Tigers, working closely with current drum majors and clarinets. According to her social media, Gieske just celebrated her 20th birthday two days ago.

“We are completely devastated and heartbroken over the loss of Anne Marie. She was a bright light loved by all. We ask for your prayers but also the respect of our privacy. Anne’s final gift to us was dying in the state of sanctifying grace. We know we will one day be reunited with her in God’s Kingdom,” her father, Dan, said in a statement.

Fort Mitchell’s Mayor Jude Hehman and city council released a statement following the news.

“Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to the Gieske and Klein families who both have very deep roots in our Fort Mitchell Community.”

Those killed or hurt were mostly teens and people in their 20s, according to Choi Seong-beom, chief of Seoul’s Yongsan fire department. The death toll could rise further as 19 of those injured were in critical condition.

An estimated 100,000 people had gathered in Itaewon for the country’s biggest outdoor Halloween festivities since the pandemic began and strict rules on gatherings were enforced. The South Korean government eased COVID-19 restrictions in recent months and this was the first big chance to get out and party for many young people. Halloween has become a major attraction for young South Koreans over the years.

“We have two other students and a faculty member there this semester as well. They have been contacted and are safe,” Capilouto said in a statement.

Capilouto said the school has been in contact with We have been in contact with Gieske’s to provide support.

“We will be there for those in our community who knew and loved Anne. We also have nearly 80 students from South Korea at UK — members of our community — who will need our support,” Capilouto said in a statement.

The crowd surge is the country’s worst disaster in years.

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