POSCO Cheongam Foundation Selects 3 POSCO Heroes Who Risked Their Lives for Neighbors in Crisis

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] The POSCO Chungam Foundation has selected three citizens who risked their lives to help neighbors in crisis as 'POSCO Heroes.'

POSCO awarded plaques and scholarships to three individuals: Jeon Se-ho (23), who subdued a man wielding a wooden plank and causing a disturbance in front of a bus stop on Ganghwa Island, Incheon; Lee Dong-geun (46), who saved three elementary school students from drowning while playing in Gwangryeocheon, Haman, Gyeongnam; and Kim Jae-gwan (45), who single-handedly used a fire extinguisher and fire hydrant to contain flames and prevent a large-scale fire at a commercial building fire scene in Yeongtong-gu, Suwon.

Jeon Se-ho, a university student selected as a POSCO Hero, intervened on May 20 around 3 p.m. at a bus stop in Ganghwa-gun, Incheon, where a man was uprooting tree supports, damaging nearby parked vehicles and bus stop glass, and threatening passing citizens including young middle school students. Jeon risked his safety to subdue the troublemaker alongside the police, preventing further crimes.

During the restraint, Jeon sustained injuries including broken glasses and a shoulder wound. He said, "I only thought about taking the wooden plank away so that no one around would get hurt. Even if someone else had been there instead of me, they would not have just passed by. I am truly relieved that no citizens were injured."

Lee Dong-geun, also selected as a POSCO Hero, witnessed three boys drowning and calling for help near Gwangryeocheon in Haman-gun, Gyeongnam, around 6 p.m. on July 12 while riding his bicycle. He immediately jumped into the stream and rescued all three boys consecutively.

Lee said, "When I saved the second child, I was so exhausted that I thought if I went in to save the third child, we might both die. But when I saw the child sinking deeper underwater, I instinctively jumped back in. As a father raising two children, I was determined to save these kids' lives."

The other hero, Kim Jae-gwan, happened to visit a large commercial building in Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, on July 10 around noon for business. He witnessed black smoke and flames rising from a pile of interior construction materials and used a fire extinguisher and fire hydrant alone to initially suppress the fire for about 10 minutes until firefighters arrived.

Meanwhile, the POSCO Heroes Fellowship is a program that supports heroes who have sacrificed themselves for the nation and social justice or their children to continue their studies stably. It actively discovers public officials and ordinary citizens who serve as social role models, raising social awareness of righteous actions and aiming to create a just society where members help each other even in difficult situations. Since its establishment in 2019, a total of 36 POSCO Heroes have been selected.