"'Democratic Party's 5th Talent' Oh Young-hwan's Wife Kim Ja-in: 'A Difficult Decision... I Will Quietly Support'"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Wondara] Climber Kim Ja-in spoke about her husband, former firefighter Oh Young-hwan's joining of the Democratic Party of Korea, saying, "It was an incredibly difficult decision," and added, "I will quietly trust and support him." She also stated that she will continue her activities as a climbing athlete.

On the afternoon of the 7th, Kim posted on her Instagram account, "I think many of you were very surprised to hear about my husband's joining the party," and said, "It was an incredibly difficult decision for a man who wanted to live his life as a firefighter saving lives."

She said, "After making a difficult decision that I couldn't tell anyone about for weeks, I quietly attended the event wanting to support him as he steadily prepared, but the unexpected sudden welcome, flashes, and media coverage made it a very bewildering day for me as well."

She continued, "When we first met in 2013, both of us lived dreaming only of climbing and firefighting," and emphasized, "In the future, we will continue to respect each other's choices and paths, quietly trust, and support one another."

Kim said, "I sincerely thank everyone for the many congratulations, support, concerns, and worried looks," and added, "What I can do for those people is to continue diligently following my path through training as I have done so far."

On the same day in the morning, the Democratic Party recruited former firefighter Oh Young-hwan, Kim's husband, as their fifth candidate for the general election. The party explained the reason for recruitment, saying, "Oh Young-hwan, a young man widely known as a fire safety advocate, has served diligently as a field rescue worker and has also devoted himself to widely publicizing the sweat and tears of firefighters who risk their lives to protect the public's property and safety under harsh conditions."

Oh started as a 119 rescue worker at Gwangjin Fire Station in 2010, then worked at the Seoul 119 Special Rescue Team's mountain rescue unit, Seongbuk Fire Station, and most recently served as a field worker at the Central 119 Rescue Headquarters. In 2015, he published a book titled 'A Firefighter's Prayer - Even if the World Forgets Us, We Are Eternal Firefighters,' which conveyed the dedication and hardships of frontline firefighters to the world.

At the party joining ceremony, former firefighter Oh Young-hwan said, "For more citizens to be safe, change is necessary, and I will work to fill safety blind spots through laws and systems."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.