Nine Heroes Who Saved Neighbors' Lives in Torrential Rain Selected as 'POSCO Heroes'

Park Byung-il and Others Who Saved Neighbors' Lives During Heavy Rain
Residents of Semi-basement Homes and Citizens Rescuing Stranded Vehicles on Flooded Roads
POSCO Selects a Total of 71 POSCO Heroes

The POSCO Cheongam Foundation awarded plaques and scholarships to nine POSCO Heroes at the POSCO Center in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on the 30th of last month. (From left) Bang Mijeong, Secretary General of the POSCO Cheongam Foundation; Seonggyu Lim, Seokjun Eun, Jongyeon Park, Jinhak Kim, Woojae Kwon, Byeongil Park, Incheon Yoo, Baekho Han, Sejun Pyo, who were selected as POSCO Heroes; Odongho Oh, Executive Director of the POSCO Cheongam Foundation. Photo by POSCO Cheongam Foundation

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seoyoon] The POSCO Cheongam Foundation announced on the 1st that it selected nine citizens who risked their lives to save neighbors during the worst heavy rain as POSCO Heroes and recently awarded them plaques and scholarships at the POSCO Center in Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

The POSCO Heroes who saved neighbors' lives during the record-breaking heavy rain that struck the metropolitan area last month are Park Byung-il (57), Han Baek-ho (40), Yoo In-cheon (59), Eun Seok-jun (24), Kwon Woo-jae (29), Park Jong-yeon (56), Kim Jin-hak (27), Lim Sung-kyu (64), and Pyo Se-jun (26).

On the 8th of last month, when a record-breaking daily rainfall of over 300mm fell, Park Byung-il went out to check the neighborhood's safety and heard that someone was trapped in a semi-basement house in the same building. Together with Han Baek-ho and Yoo In-cheon, he tore off the security window of the semi-basement house and helped three family members escape. He also checked other semi-basement houses to see if anyone was trapped and rescued two additional residents. As the water continued to rise, he went around the neighborhood removing trash blocking the drainage pipes to help the water drain more easily.

Park Byung-il said, "I am very proud to have saved neighbors who are like family together with the people in the neighborhood," and added, "After experiencing the flood, I realized anew the importance of cleaning drainage pipes," expressing his thoughts on being selected as a POSCO Hero.

On the same day, Eun Seok-jun, Kwon Woo-jae, Park Jong-yeon, and Kim Jin-hak also saved the life of a young man living in a semi-basement house trapped by the heavy rain. Upon hearing that water had flooded a neighbor's house, Eun Seok-jun swam into the semi-basement building to check where the person was and informed those around him. Meanwhile, Kwon Woo-jae, Park Jong-yeon, and Kim Jin-hak, who were observing the situation from outside, tore off the security window and broke the glass window to grab the trapped young man's hand and pull him out. The water had risen up to the ceiling, and residents watching this moment of cooperation shouted "He's alive, it's okay now" and breathed a sigh of relief.

Lim Sung-kyu also discovered an elderly couple in their 80s trapped in a semi-basement house in an alley near Seongdae Market in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, on the same day. He tore off the security window, ran into the rainwater-filled house, and rescued the elderly couple who had difficulty moving, saving their lives.

Pyo Se-jun found a woman clinging to the trunk of a vehicle floating on a six-lane road in Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, barely holding on and calling for help. He immediately grabbed a 'No Parking' sign nearby and ran into the road. Swimming through the muddy water up to his chin, Pyo Se-jun approached the isolated woman, handed her the 'No Parking' sign to hold onto, and safely rescued her by swimming back.

The POSCO Heroes Fellowship is a program that supports heroes who sacrificed themselves for the nation and social justice or their children to continue their studies stably.

Established in 2019 to actively discover public officials and ordinary citizens who serve as social role models and to raise social interest in righteous actions, it aims to create a just society where members of our society can help each other even in difficult situations. To date, a total of 71 POSCO Heroes have been selected.

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