Police Heroes of the Year: 'Independence Activist' Chief Superintendent An Maekgyeol and 'Self-Sacrificing' Inspector Jeong Yeonho

Chief Superintendent An Maek-gyeol (left), Inspector Jeong Yeon-ho. [Photo by National Police Agency]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] The National Police Agency announced on the 27th that it has selected Senior Superintendent An Maek-gyeol, a female independence activist, and Police Lieutenant Jeong Yeon-ho, who died in the line of duty while trying to save citizens' lives, as the 'Police Heroes of the Year.'

Senior Superintendent An Maek-gyeol, the niece of Dosan Ahn Chang-ho, led the March 1st Movement at Soongui Girls' School in Pyongyang in 1919 and carried out independence activities such as fundraising for the Provisional Government's military. In 1937, while heavily pregnant, she was arrested by the Japanese police and imprisoned as an independence activist. After liberation, she joined the police in 1946 as part of the first female police officer cadre and served for 15 years until her retirement in 1961, holding positions such as Chief of the Seoul Women’s Police Station and professor at the National Police Academy, dedicating herself to building a safe society. The government posthumously awarded her the Order of Merit for National Foundation in 2018 in recognition of her spirit of protecting the nation.

Police Lieutenant Jeong Yeon-ho was serving at the Beomeo District Unit of the Suseong Police Station in Daegu when he died in the line of duty on December 21, 2017, while trying to prevent a person at risk of suicide from jumping. After receiving a report that "my son is about to commit suicide, please stop him," Lieutenant Jeong rushed to the scene. When the person at risk locked the door after entering the room and attempted to jump through the window, Lieutenant Jeong urgently climbed the building's exterior to reach the window but fell from the 9th floor of the apartment. To honor his self-sacrifice without hesitation in a critical situation, the police and government posthumously promoted him one rank and awarded him the Order of Okjo Geunjeong.

The National Police Agency plans to erect busts and create memorial spaces at the former workplaces of Senior Superintendent An and Lieutenant Jeong by the end of this year to widely commemorate their achievements. A National Police Agency official said, "We hope that Senior Superintendent An’s unwavering patriotism and Lieutenant Jeong’s fearless courage will be deeply engraved in the hearts of junior police officers."

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