POSCO Cheongam Foundation Selects Three 'POSCO Heroes' Including Citizens and Soldiers Who Saved Precious Lives in Crisis Situations

Shin Tae-jong (53), who saved the lives of a falling child and woman by catching them with his hands during a building fall accident in Jinmi-dong, Gumi City, was selected as a 'POSCO Hero' by the POSCO Cheongam Foundation on the 23rd.

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] The POSCO Cheongam Foundation has selected Shin Tae-jong (53), who saved the lives of a falling child and woman by catching them with his hands during a building fall accident in Jinmi-dong, Gumi City, as well as Private Kim Sung-hoon (21) of the 31st Division and citizen Kim Tae-wan (20), who saved citizens' lives through swift rescue efforts at a house fire scene in Sanjeong-dong, Mokpo City, as POSCO Heroes. In the future, the Gumi City Hall and Mokpo Fire Station plan to personally present plaques and scholarships to the heroes.

Shin Tae-jong, selected as a POSCO Hero this time, was preparing to open his restaurant around 3 p.m. on February 24 when he heard urgent screams and ran outside to find a child in a life-threatening situation about to fall from the fourth-floor balcony of the building opposite. Shin immediately ran to the building and caught the 6-year-old child and a woman in succession with his hands, saving precious lives. During this process, Shin also sustained an injury to his arm.

Shin Tae-jong explained the situation, saying, "My body reacted first with the thought that I had to save the person in danger, and I just did what I naturally had to do."

Private Kim Sung-hoon of the 31st Division and citizen Kim Tae-wan, who were also selected as heroes, discovered the fire scene while passing through a residential area early in the morning and reported it to 119. Inside the house where the fire broke out were middle school student Park Mo and his mother Lee Mo, who were unable to escape through the front door due to rising flames and rapidly spreading smoke. Private Kim Sung-hoon and Kim Tae-wan quickly removed the security window of the room where the mother and son were and promptly rescued them.

Nam Jeong-yeol, Chief of Mokpo Fire Station, said, "The courageous actions of these two young men at the fire scene, which could have led to a fatal accident, truly make them heroes. We are grateful that they serve as role models for our society during this difficult time of COVID-19."

A representative of the POSCO Cheongam Foundation stated, "The three heroes selected this time took the lead in saving citizens' lives with a self-sacrificing spirit in urgent situations where they themselves could have been in danger, becoming role models for our society, which is why they were chosen as POSCO Heroes."

The POSCO Heroes Fellowship is a program established in 2019 to support heroes who sacrificed themselves for the nation and social justice or their children to continue their studies stably. It actively discovers public officials and ordinary citizens who serve as social role models, raises social interest in righteous actions, and aims to create a just society where members of our community help each other even in difficult situations. To date, a total of 29 POSCO Heroes have been selected.

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