Three Recipients of the 'LG Hero Award' Rescued Neighbors Through Torrential Rain and Burning Cargo Truck

After Chairman Koo Kwang-mo's Inauguration in 2018, the Award Scope Expanded to Include General Citizens

LG Hero Award recipient Sejun Pyo. (Photo by LG)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] LG announced on the 7th that the LG Welfare Foundation awarded the 'LG Hero Award' to Pyo Sejun, who rescued neighbors stranded during the record-breaking heavy rain in the central region last month?the heaviest in 80 years?and to highway safety patrol officers An Changyoung and Moon Heejin, who broke the glass of a burning cargo truck to rescue the trapped driver.

Pyo, a public official affiliated with the Defense Media Agency, discovered a driver stranded in the middle of a six-lane road flooded by over 100mm of rain per hour around 9 p.m. on the 8th of last month while returning home after exercising in Seocho-gu, Seoul.

The driver was barely standing on the car trunk, requesting rescue in water that had risen to adult height. Pyo calmly grabbed a plastic sign floating nearby and swam to the driver through the muddy water that reached his neck. Using the sign as a buoy, he moved the driver to a safe place and left the scene silently.

Pyo said, "At that moment, I thought of a mother of a similar age and just wanted to rescue her quickly. I thought I had to use anything that floats, so I grabbed a nearby sign and swam in."

LG Good Samaritan Award recipient Changyoung An. (Photo by LG)

An Changyoung and Moon Heejin, safety patrol officers from the Yeongju branch of the Korea Expressway Corporation's Gyeongbuk Regional Headquarters, witnessed a cargo truck overturn and catch fire near Dueumgyo on the northbound Central Expressway in Danyang-gun, Chungbuk, around 7 a.m. on July 11.

Approaching the accident scene to assess the situation, patrol officers An and Moon found the driver trapped inside the overturned vehicle. Despite the dangerous situation with the vehicle exploding several times, the two officers retrieved tools from their work vehicle, returned to the scene, broke the passenger-side window, and lifted the broken glass with their hands and a stick to rescue the driver.

An sustained a finger injury from glass shards during the rescue. The vehicle was completely destroyed by fire after the rescue. The rescued driver briefly lost consciousness but had no life-threatening injuries.

LG Hero Award recipient Heejin Moon. (Photo by LG)

An LG official explained the reason for selecting the LG Hero Award recipients: "It is to encourage the courageous actions of citizens who risked their own safety for their neighbors during dangerous flood and fire incidents."

The LG Hero Award was established in 2015 to reflect the late Chairman Koo Bon-moo's intention that "the company repays social responsibility to heroes who sacrificed themselves for social justice." Since LG CEO Koo Kwang-mo took office in 2018, the award has expanded to include ordinary citizens who quietly serve and perform good deeds for others in various parts of society. To date, a total of 180 people have received the LG Hero Award.

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