Spouse of Gimhae City Council Member Who Died Trying to Save Employees in Heavy Rain Recognized as Medical Martyr

The spouse of Bae Hyun-joo, a member of the Gimhae City Council in Gyeongnam, who died in the so-called 'Mokdong flooding accident,' has been recognized as a medical casualty by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

According to Gimhae City, the late Ahn Jun-ho died on July 31, 2019, at 8:24 a.m. after being swept away by rainwater pouring from the surface into the underground rainwater retention drainage facility expansion construction site in Sinwol-dong, Yangcheon-gu, Seoul.

On the day of the accident, a heavy rain advisory was issued around 7:30 a.m. in Seoul, and a sudden downpour of 20mm per hour fell at the site.

As the heavy rain fell, the automatically set rainwater drainage facility gates opened, and approximately 61,000 tons of water poured into the 40-meter-deep underground drainage channel.

Two subcontractor employees who had entered the channel first for routine inspection were inside, but communication was cut off due to the heavy rain.

The deceased, who was 28 years old at the time, jumped into the channel to evacuate them but was trapped by the rapidly rising rainwater and could not escape; all three lost their lives.

Hong Tae-yong, Mayor of Gimhae, Gyeongnam (second from left), handed over the certificate of recognition as a medical service person to Bae Hyun-joo, city council member (center), for her late spouse, the late Ahn Jun-ho.
[Photo by Gimhae City Hall]

On April 21, the Ministry of Health and Welfare held the 2nd Medical Casualty Review Committee of 2023 and recognized the deceased as a medical casualty.

According to the Act on the Treatment and Support of Medical Casualties, it was determined that the deceased died while directly and actively acting to save the life, body, or property of others in danger, risking their own life.

The family of the medical casualty will receive a certificate of medical casualty along with compensation and benefits prescribed by law, including medical, funeral, education, salary, and employment protection.

On the 19th, Mayor Hong Tae-yong of Gimhae City presented the medical casualty certificate to Councilor Bae, the spouse of the deceased.

Mayor Hong said, "I hope the noble spirit of sacrifice of the deceased, who contributed to the realization of social justice, will be widely known and serve as an example to society."

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