Kim Ki-moon Rescues a Drowning Vehicle with Bare Hands, Awarded the 119 Hero Medal

Fire Agency to Hold the 1st 119 Hero Award Ceremony This Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The National Fire Agency held the 1st 119 Hero Award ceremony on the 19th and presented the 119 Hero Award to Kim Gi-moon, who saved a family of three trapped in a vehicle submerged in water after an overturn accident.

On March 21, Kim witnessed an SUV falling into an agricultural waterway while fishing in Hwameok-dong, Gimhae City, and immediately jumped into the water. At the time, the water depth was 1.5 meters, and the vehicle was overturned, creating an emergency situation where the door could not be opened from the inside due to water pressure.

Kim groped around the submerged vehicle, opened the front passenger door to rescue the driver, and then saved the wife and son seated in the back, rescuing all three family members.

At the award ceremony, Fire Chief Shin Yeol-woo personally presented the commendation along with the '119 Hero Certificate,' and the prize money prepared under the 'Business Agreement for the Activation of the 119 Hero Award' was delivered by Seo Min-seok, Vice President of eBay Korea, who attended the event.

Kim said with a smile, “When I had a serious accident in the past, I was able to live a new life thanks to the help of 119 and those around me. This experience has motivated me to be more attentive to others and live with a spirit of service.”

Fire Chief Shin Yeol-woo said, “The courage and spirit of sacrifice to save precious lives of others in situations that could be dangerous to oneself deserve high praise. We plan to actively discover 119 heroes around us and widely promote their righteous actions.”

Meanwhile, the '119 Hero Award' honors those who risk their own safety to save others' lives at disaster scenes. It was first implemented in 2018, and including this time, a total of 25 people have received the award.