Brave Citizen Who Prevented the Kidnapping of a 9-Year-Old Girl Selected as a 'POSCO Heroes'

POSCO Cheongam Foundation Presents Plaques and Scholarships

POSCO Cheongam Foundation announced on the 4th that it selected neighbor resident Lee Cheol, who actively prevented the kidnapping of a 9-year-old girl through quick action and wit, as a POSCO Hero and presented him with a plaque and a scholarship for his child at the Buk-gu Office in Gwangju.

The POSCO Heroes Fellowship is a project by the POSCO Cheongam Foundation that selects righteous individuals who have sacrificed themselves with a spirit of selflessness for the nation and social justice and have exerted a socially positive influence, and supports the education of these heroes or their children.

On the afternoon of the 2nd, around 5 p.m., Lee Cheol went out to Ojeong Children's Park in Buk-gu, Gwangju with his son and witnessed a man drinking alcohol in one corner of the park. Since it is a place where many children usually gather to play, he felt uneasy about the intoxicated man and began to watch him carefully. When the man approached a girl playing nearby, gave her a doll, and took her hand to leave the park, Lee immediately followed, stopped them, and asked what was going on. However, the man said the girl was his niece and angrily walked away again.

Feeling suspicious no matter how he thought about it, Lee quietly followed about 500 meters, keeping an eye on the situation. The man, sensing someone behind him, kept looking back while walking quickly and took the girl into an apartment building. Lee quickly followed and stopped the man again as he was entering the house, questioning, "Are you really the girl's uncle? Then tell me the grandmother's name and the girl's home address." When the man stammered and failed to answer, Lee immediately reported to the police. The investigation revealed that the man and the girl were strangers who first met in the park, and while the girl's parents were away, the man gained the girl's trust with a doll and lured her to his home by promising more dolls.

POSCO Chungam Foundation presented a plaque and scholarship funds for his children to Mr. Lee Cheol at the Buk-gu Office in Gwangju on the 2nd and took a commemorative photo. (From left) Odongho, Executive Director; Lee Cheol; Moon In, Mayor of Buk-gu, Gwangju
Photo by POSCO Group

Lee said, "As a parent raising a child myself, I just did what I naturally should have done, but since I was selected as a POSCO Hero, I will continue to work hard to make neighborhoods where children can play safely."

The POSCO Heroes Fellowship was established in 2019 to raise social awareness of righteous actions and to create a just society where members of our community can help each other even in difficult situations. To date, a total of 78 POSCO Heroes have been selected.

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