"Have you ever donated coffee to a fire station?"

Park Minkyu (33), who runs a restaurant in Seoul, received an unexpected phone call on the 3rd. The person on the other end of the line explained that a complaint had been filed regarding the 50 cups of coffee Park had donated to his neighborhood fire station four months earlier.

The story began in October last year. Having long felt gratitude watching firefighters putting out fires, Park decided to show his support by delivering 50 cups of coffee. The fire station's inspection department asked Park to explain the circumstances under which he provided the coffee and whether he had any conflicting interests with any specific firefighter. Park said, "It's hard to accept that simply giving a cup of coffee to people who risk their lives at work is considered a conflicting interest, especially when it's not as if they would put out a fire at my place first," adding, "If gestures of support and good deeds are met with administrative procedures like complaints, who would step up to express their thanks?"

In August last year, firefighters took a short break during firefighting operations at an apartment fire in Seoul. Yonhap News

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The restaurant owner who offered coffee to firefighters as a token of appreciation ended up becoming the subject of a civil complaint. Critics say that regulations restricting the exchange of money and valuables with persons related to official duties are discouraging acts of sharing and expressions of gratitude among neighbors.

According to fire authorities on the 9th, the fire station in question conducted an internal review of the matter after a complaint was submitted through the national petition system on February 2. An official from the firefighting administration department said, "Once a complaint is filed, checking the facts is an unavoidable step," and explained, "Since this was not a case subject to punishment or disciplinary action, we closed it with a guidance measure, informing (Park, who gifted the coffee) that under the regulations it is difficult for firefighters to accept gifts from outside parties."

Under the current Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, the acceptance of money or valuables is, in principle, prohibited when a relationship to official duties is recognized. However, pursuant to its enforcement decree, gifts or snacks worth up to 50,000 won are allowed if they are consistent with the purposes of facilitating official duties or for social or customary courtesy.

The problem is that this is far removed from the sense of sharing and neighborhood sentiment that citizens actually feel. There is also criticism that complaints are frequently filed regardless of the seriousness of the matter or whether it is substantively illegal. Lee Byunghoon, a sociology professor at Chung-Ang University, said, "An attempt to express goodwill toward firefighters has turned into a burden for everyone," adding, "The authorities in charge also face difficulties because they have to process complaints uniformly without knowing the intent behind them."