Four Citizens Awarded '119 Hero Award' for Saving Person Who Fell into the Sea

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The National Fire Agency announced on the 9th that it will award the '119 Hero Award' to four citizen heroes who saved citizens in danger after falling into the sea.

Cha Gil-hwan (62, male), selected as a 119 hero this time, was walking along the beach in front of Sol Beach Resort in Jindo-gun, Jeollanam-do, with family and acquaintances around 5 p.m. on August 10, when he witnessed three teenage male students being swept out to sea and the mother of one of the students who tried to rescue them also being swept away by the current. He immediately reported the incident to 119.

Recognizing the urgent situation where waiting for the rescue team was impossible, Mr. Cha threw a 4-meter-long rope nearby and first saved two teenage boys (14 and 12 years old). Then, tying another rope around his body and supported by his acquaintances, he swam about 60 meters into the sea and safely rescued the student's mother (45) and another boy (13).

Im Ju-hyun (48, male), Kang Cheol-woo (57, male), and Park Kyung-soo (47, male) discovered a 6-year-old and 8-year-old brother and sister drowning at Pyoseon Beach in Jeju Island on October 13. They swam 50 meters to rescue them and safely handed the patients over to the arriving paramedics.

Im, who had worked as a safety manager at Pyoseon Beach until September 25, happened to witness the accident on the day and immediately jumped into the sea to save lives. Kang has a history of rescuing a high school girl at the same location in August 2016. Park also previously saved a middle school girl at a beach in Busan in 2008 and two middle school boys in a valley in Miryang in 2014.

Shin Yeol-woo, head of the National Fire Agency, said, "Although our society has become harsh, there are many heroes who think of their neighbors as themselves and act first," adding, "We will continue to pay more attention so that the spirit of heroes can shine in the future."

The 119 Hero Award, first established in 2018, has been awarded to 24 people so far. The 4th 119 Hero Award ceremony will be held at the National Fire Agency at 11 a.m. on the 13th.

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