POSCO Cheongam Foundation Selects 5 POSCO Heroes Including Citizen Who Saved Neighbor's Life by Subduing Armed Attacker

Mr. Jeong Gukwan and Ms. Kim Yujin who subdued a weapon-wielding assailant to protect neighbors

Mr. Kim Jaewon who ran into a burning building to evacuate residents and prevent casualties

On the 29th, awards and scholarships presented... A total of 62 POSCO Heroes selected to date

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seonsik] POSCO Cheongam Foundation (Chairman Kim Seonwook) selected Jeong Gukwan (41), Kim Yujin (43), who subdued a knife-wielding assailant to protect neighbors, Kim Jaewon (41), who ran into a burning building to evacuate residents and prevent casualties, and firefighters Kang Taewoo (29) and Kim Jimin (29), who rescued a person from drowning in the sea, as POSCO Heroes and presented them with plaques and scholarships on July 29.

Jeong Gukwan and Kim Yujin rushed into the scene of a knife attack in an apartment hallway on July 16, subdued the assailant, and rescued the victim.

At around 10 p.m. that night, Jeong Gukwan ran outside his home after hearing screams from the apartment hallway and saw a man wielding a knife threatening a woman. Without hesitation, Jeong charged at the assailant, disarmed him, and subdued him, but the assailant picked up the broken blade and lunged at the woman again.

Jeong chased and subdued the assailant again and called for help. At that moment, neighbor Kim Yujin, who heard the commotion, joined in and took the blade from the assailant’s hand. After reporting to the police, they handed the assailant over to the authorities. The victim was unconscious and taken to the hospital but has since regained consciousness.

Jeong Gukwan said, “Only after handing the assailant over to the police did the fear hit me. I still can’t believe I subdued a strong man. I think my body just acted instinctively to save the victim. I’m really relieved to hear the victim is recovering.”

Kim Jaewon, also selected as a POSCO Hero, evacuated all residents from a burning building on June 5, preventing casualties.

At around 8 p.m. that day near Sangnok-gu, Ansan-si, Gyeonggi-do, Kim Jaewon, working at his chicken restaurant (Cheolin 7ho), smelled smoke and went outside to check. He saw smoke rising from a first-floor shop in an adjacent building and immediately called 119. People in other first-floor shops evacuated quickly, but residents on the 2nd, 3rd floors and rooftop were unaware of the fire.

Kim broke down the locked front door of the burning building, went inside, and alerted residents by ringing doorbells in each unit to evacuate. While residents were evacuating, smoke rapidly spread upstairs, and the first-floor shop where the fire started was completely destroyed.

Kim Jaewon said, “When I saw the lights on in the units, I thought I had to quickly alert the residents to evacuate. I’m very happy to receive a scholarship for my child during these difficult times due to COVID-19. I will continue to look out for neighbors in need.”

Firefighter couple Kang Taewoo and Kim Jimin saved a drowning person and revived them with CPR.

On June 18, Kang Taewoo and Kim Jimin, firefighters from Dangjin Fire Station, were walking along the beach at Waemok Village, Dangjin, Chungnam, when they heard urgent cries that someone had fallen into the sea. Looking toward the sea, they saw only a floating tube. Judging the situation urgent, Kang immediately jumped into the sea barehanded. He swam about 20 meters and safely rescued the woman from the water, but she was unconscious and not breathing.

At that moment, Kim Jimin, a 119 paramedic and Kang’s wife, quickly performed CPR, and shortly after, the victim began breathing and regained consciousness. Despite being heavily pregnant and recently on medical leave due to poor health, Kim risked her safety to save a life.

Kang Taewoo and Kim Jimin said, “We just did what anyone would do, so we hesitated at first about receiving such a big award as POSCO Heroes, but since it’s a scholarship for our soon-to-be-born child, we accept it with joy. We will work even harder for the safety of the people.”

The POSCO Heroes Fellowship supports heroes who sacrificed themselves for the nation and social justice or their children to continue their studies stably. Established in 2019, it has selected a total of 62 POSCO Heroes to date.

POSCO Cheongam Foundation plans to actively discover public officials and citizens who serve as social role models, raise social interest in righteous actions, and lead efforts to build a just society where people help each other even in difficult situations.

Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seonsik hss79@asiae.co.kr

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