[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The National Fire Agency announced on the 12th that it will award the '119 Hero Award' to two citizen heroes who risked their lives to save others at drowning accident scenes.
Busan citizen Lee Jae-kwon (43) discovered a person who had slipped and fallen into a rapid current at Oncheoncheon Citizen Park in Yeonje-gu, Busan, on June 14th this year, and jumped into the water to rescue them. At the time, the scene was in a critical state with fast currents due to heavy rain that had fallen until just before the accident, causing the water level to rise.
Lee Kyung-han (41), who lives in Seoul, found a person struggling in the water north of Hannam Bridge on the Han River on the 24th of the same month, entered the water himself, and safely rescued the person to the riverbank. The rescued person was conscious but had ingested a lot of water and continued to vomit, indicating a critical condition, according to the National Fire Agency.
The National Fire Agency designated them as the 12th and 13th recipients of the 119 Hero Award and will present the '119 Hero Award' certificates at the fire disaster headquarters in Seoul and Busan, respectively, on the same day.
Since 2018, the National Fire Agency has selected citizens who have dedicated themselves to protecting the lives and property of others in danger in the field of fire safety and awarded the 119 Hero Award. So far, a total of 11 people have received the award, and the recipients can be viewed in the 119 Hero section on the National Fire Agency's website.
Jeong Moon-ho, Commissioner of the National Fire Agency, explained, "Anyone can be in danger, but the act of dedicating oneself to saving others is not something just anyone can do, so the purpose of establishing the 119 Hero Award is to remember the noble spirit of these individuals."
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