Commissioner Yoon Hee-geun Visits Police Memorial Park... "Remembering Noble Sacrifices"

Police Memorial Week Marked by Consecutive Aggressive Actions

Police Chief Yoon Hee-geun is paying respects to fallen officers by offering incense at the Police Memorial Park in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul on the 20th. / Photo by the National Police Agency

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] On the fourth day of Police Memorial Week, June 20, Yoon Hee-geun, Commissioner of the National Police Agency, visited the Police Memorial Park to lay flowers, offer incense, and pay respects.

At around 9:20 a.m. that day, Commissioner Yoon, accompanied by Kim Ho-cheol, Chairperson of the National Police Commission, Park Kyung-min, Standing Member of the Police Commission, and Nam Gu-jun, Chief of the National Investigation Headquarters of the National Police Agency, visited the Police Memorial Park in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. During the memorial event held that day, Commissioner Yoon and others honored the sacrifices of police officers who died in the line of duty. The event proceeded in the order of flower laying and incense offering, saluting the patriotic spirits, and a moment of silence.

This memorial event was held in observance of Police Memorial Week. The National Police Agency designates the third week of October every year as Police Memorial Week to commemorate officers who died in the line of duty. On the first day of the week, October 17, Commissioner Yoon visited Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, to attend a memorial ceremony for the late Sergeant Lee Jong-woo, who died during the 2020 operation to secure an artificial floating island on Uiam Lake and rescue lives. At the ceremony, Commissioner Yoon said, "The tree we plant together will be a symbol of our promise to remember Sergeant Lee’s noble sacrifice."

Sergeant Lee was serving as the patrol boat commander responsible for Uiam Lake on August 6, 2020. He responded to a report that an artificial floating island was drifting on Uiam Lake and died while trying to rescue a civilian on a rubber boat. The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) certified Sergeant Lee as a 'fallen police officer.' He was the first in the Republic of Korea to be recognized as a fallen police officer by Interpol for his meritorious service.

Police Chief Yoon Hee-geun and other police leadership saluted the war veterans on the 20th at the Police Memorial Park in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. / Photo by the National Police Agency

On the third day of the week, October 19, Commissioner Yoon visited Ganghwa Island, Incheon, to attend a housing environment improvement event at the home of the late Sergeant Jeong Ok-seong. After paying respects at the bust of Sergeant Jeong installed at the Ganghwa Police Station in Incheon, Commissioner Yoon moved to the late officer’s spouse’s residence, met with the bereaved family, and affixed a 'National Merit Plaque' to the house. The house was built by Sergeant Jeong and his spouse during his lifetime, but the exterior walls had cracks and the basement insulation was poor. Through the housing environment improvement project, the exterior walls will be repaired and the basement insulation windows will be replaced.

Sergeant Jeong attempted to save a citizen who was about to commit suicide by jumping into the water at the pier in Oepo-ri, Ganghwa-gun, on March 1, 2013. He was swept away by waves and went missing. Despite joint search efforts by civilians, police, and military, his body was never found. The government posthumously promoted him by one rank and awarded him the Order of Okjo Geunjeong. A bust was erected at the Ganghwa Police Station. This bust was designated as a memorial facility in November 2017. The National Police Agency also selected Sergeant Jeong as a '2022 Police Hero.'

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