"Why Didn't You Put Him in Fireproof Clothing"... Chung Cheongrae Mourns at Wando Fallen Firefighters' Funeral Hall

The Late Taeyoung Noh, Who Even Changed His Name to Become a Firefighter
The Late Seungwon Park, Remembered for His Strong Sense of Duty
Chung Cheongrae: "We Will Honor Them with the Highest Respect... Support for the Bereaved Families Will Cont

On April 13, Chung Chung-rae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, visited the funeral hall to pay tribute to the late firefighters Seungwon Park and Taeyoung Noh, who died in the line of duty during a fire at a cold storage facility in Wando-gun, Jeollanam-do, and offered his condolences to their bereaved families.

At around 6:50 p.m. on this day, Representative Chung visited both the funeral hall set up at Daeseong Hospital in Wando and the memorial service hall at the Wando Arts and Culture Center. With a solemn expression, he laid flowers and observed a moment of silence in front of the portraits of the deceased. He expressed his condolences for the sacrifice of the two heroes who rushed into the flames to protect the lives and property of citizens, and held the hands of the grieving families.

Seungwon Park, Fire Lieutenant (left), Taeyoung Noh, Firefighter (right)

Unable to hide his deep sorrow, Chung said, "I don't know how to offer comfort," expressing his profound grief. Referring to Firefighter Taeyoung Noh, he said, "I heard that he even changed his name to become a firefighter. He was scheduled to get married this October, and this heartbreaking tragedy makes it even more painful."

He continued, "His mother said, 'My son must have called out to me for help in his pain, but I couldn't save him,' and is overcome with immense sadness," he added, conveying the family's pain.

Tributes were also paid to Firefighter Seungwon Park, who was dedicated to his duty with a strong sense of mission. Representative Chung said, "I was told he was very devoted to saving lives and performed his duties as a firefighter with utmost sincerity. His mother told me, with a tone of resentment, 'Why didn't you put him in clothes that wouldn't burn?' and it was so heartbreaking that I didn't know how to offer comfort," he said, his eyes welling up with tears.

At the funeral hall that day, key figures including Representative Chung Cheong-rae, Representative Park Ji-won, Supreme Council Members Moon Jung-bok and Lee Seong-yoon, Representative Kang Joon-hyun, and preliminary candidates for the integrated mayoral position Min Hyung-bae and Kim Young-rok attended to pay their respects to the deceased. Photo by Lee Jung-kyung

Chung also promised thorough national honors and support for the families of the deceased. He emphasized, "The nation will do its utmost to ensure that the sacrifice and dedication of these two firefighters are not in vain, and we will give the highest honors and leave no room for neglect in caring for the lives of the bereaved families."

He reiterated, "The government and ruling party will do everything possible to ensure that the devotion and sacrifice of these two firefighters are not in vain. We will listen carefully to the words of the bereaved families, and if we can be of any comfort or help them regain strength, we will do our utmost."

Meanwhile, the joint memorial altar for the two fallen firefighters will be open until Friday. After the memorial ceremony, the remains of the deceased will be laid to rest at the National Cemetery.

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