Gyeonggi Fire Department to Hold Academic Seminar on the 300th Anniversary of Water Gun Production on the 23rd

The Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters commemorated the 300th anniversary of the production of Korea's first "hand pump" by hosting a meaningful event reflecting on the history of the introduction of Chinese firefighting artifacts and the history of multinational fire brigades.

On the 23rd, the Fire and Disaster Headquarters held an academic seminar titled "Korea-China Firefighting Artifact Exchange and the History of Multinational Fire Brigades" in the main conference room of the headquarters building in Maesan-ro 1-ga, Suwon, to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the first domestically produced hand pump.

The seminar was attended by about 100 people, including Jo Seon-ho, head of the Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters, Chu Shin-gang, chairman of the Seoul Culture and Arts Exchange Association, Hong Seung-pyo, vice chairman of the Gyeonggi branch of the National Unification Advisory Council, multicultural volunteer firefighters, and employees interested in firefighting relics.

The hand pump, also called a manual fire pump, is a fire suppression device operated by human arms and is the predecessor of the modern fire truck.

In Korea, Heo Won, a senior official of the Gwansanggam (Observatory) and a representative scientist of the mid-Joseon Dynasty, first introduced it from China (Qing) in 1723 (the 3rd year of King Gyeongjong), and two years later, in 1725, successfully produced the first domestically made hand pump.

Joseonho, Head of the Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters (front row, left), is taking a commemorative photo with attendees after presenting at the academic seminar "Korea-China Firefighting Cultural Exchange and the History of Multinational Fire Brigades" held on the 23rd in the main conference room of the headquarters building in Maesan-ro 1-ga, Suwon. Provided by Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters

Jo Seon-ho, head of the Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters, stated in his presentation on the topic of Korea-China firefighting artifact exchange and the history of multinational fire brigades, "The countries that commonly use the term 'firefighting' and have the emergency call number 119 are Korea, China, and Japan. This is evidence that these three countries have shared systems, technology, and culture throughout their long firefighting histories." He added, "Firefighters around the world feel a sense of kinship and affection simply because they do the same work for everyone's safety. This event, which uncovers and reexamines the history of Korea's first firefighting artifact exchange with China, is very meaningful."

Following this, there were expert lectures on the history and future development of Korean Chinese residents by Chairman Chu Shin-gang, the history of uniforms during the Korean Empire and the 1908 firefighter uniform by Professor Nomura Michiyo of Jang'an University, and discussions on the discovery and commemorative projects of the history of multinational fire brigades and future development plans.

After the seminar, attendees toured the Gyeonggi Fire Safety Maru, the nation's first fire complex building, including the Gyeonggi Fire History Archive, which opened at the end of last year, and Haetae Park.

The Fire and Disaster Headquarters has been leading efforts to discover firefighting relics and promote firefighting history, following the first Gyeonggi Fire History Academic Seminar held in June 2023, including ▲the 300th anniversary academic lecture commemorating the first introduction of the hand pump ▲the opening of the Heo Won Memorial Hall, a pioneer of firefighting science ▲and academic seminars reexamining the historical value of fire sirens and fire watchtowers.

Jo Seon-ho, head of the Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters, said, "Commemorating the 300th anniversary of the domestication of the hand pump introduced from China and establishing the historical identity of multinational fire brigades holds great value and significance." He added, "From this point, we will expand events in education and cultural dimensions."

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