'Jinju-si Schweitzer' Who Died Helping Traffic Accident Victims... LG Hero Award to Late Director Lee Young-gon and 3 Others

Director Lee Young-gon, the late, selected as the recipient of the LG Humanitarian Award
[Photo by LG Welfare Foundation]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] LG Welfare Foundation announced on the 27th that it will award the 'LG Hero Award' to four individuals, including the late Director Lee Young-gon, who devoted 25 years to volunteer work such as free medical treatment and helping victims of traffic accidents.

Since 1996, Director Lee operated the Lee Young-gon Internal Medicine Clinic near Jinju Central Market for 25 years, providing free treatment and medication to patients in financial difficulty. From 1998, he visited prisons three times a week during lunch breaks to treat inmates. He also generously supported scholarships for students who studied hard despite hardships. Because of this, he was called the 'Schweitzer of Jinju.'

He passed away while helping neighbors he did not even know, adding to the sorrow. On the 22nd of last month, near the Jinju interchange on the Namhae Expressway, he witnessed a car accident where a vehicle crashed into a guardrail. After stopping his car to check on the injured, he was struck and killed by a car that slipped on the wet road while he was returning to his vehicle.

Acquaintances of Director Lee recalled, "(He) always had a strong determination to give back to society as much as he received," and "He was a true doctor who devoted his medical skills solely for the safety and well-being of the vulnerable neighbors and patients around him."

LG Welfare Foundation also awarded the LG Hero Award to Kwon Jae-jun (42), a lieutenant of the Central Maritime Special Rescue Unit, who has donated blood certificates every month for 25 years while performing maritime police duties to help children with leukemia; Shin Dong-hwan (52), a superintendent at the Maritime Police Education Institute, who has continuously volunteered for 31 years by cleaning, providing supplies, and repairing boilers for those in need; and Kim Min-sung (45), an official at Daegu City Hall, who evacuated about 20 citizens during a ceiling collapse crisis, preventing a large-scale casualty.

Meanwhile, the LG Hero Award was established in 2015 reflecting the late Chairman Koo Bon-moo's intention that "a company repays its social responsibility to heroes who sacrificed themselves for the nation and social justice." Since the appointment of LG CEO Koo Kwang-mo in 2018, the award scope has expanded to include ordinary citizens who quietly serve and perform good deeds for others throughout society. To date, a total of 166 people have received the LG Hero Award.

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