New Fire Commissioner Lee Heung-gyo, from GED Graduate to Fire Chief

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hyowon] On the 3rd, Lee Heunggyo (58), Fire Commissioner General, was appointed as the new Commissioner of the National Fire Agency.

The new commissioner is known as a self-made figure who, despite difficult family circumstances, completed middle and high school through the qualification exam and rose to the top position in the fire service.

Commissioner Lee is from Samcheok, Gangwon Province. After studying middle and high school through the qualification exam and graduating from the Korea National Open University, he devoted himself to firefighting.

He was appointed as Fire Lieutenant (7th class Fire Officer Candidate) in 1993 and served as Planning and Coordination Officer and Deputy Commissioner of the National Fire Agency, Chief of Donghae Fire Station, and Head of Gangwon Fire Headquarters, leading responses to major wildfires in Gangwon Province, Typhoons Rusa and Maemi, and the Gumi hydrofluoric acid leak accident site.

In particular, during the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, he served as Head of Gangwon Fire Headquarters and was responsible for fire safety measures, leading the Olympics to be a "Safe Olympics."

In October 2019, when the bill related to the nationalization of fire service personnel passed the National Assembly, he played a midwife role as Planning and Coordination Officer of the National Fire Agency, and subsequently led follow-up measures in recruitment, personnel, and organizational management by creating the "National Fire Safety Enhancement Plan."

Within the National Fire Agency, he is evaluated as a kind and gentle personality but a commander with strong planning and execution capabilities.

He wrote a thesis titled "A Study on Fire Safety and Evacuation Safety Improvement Measures for Facilities for Vulnerable Evacuees: Focusing on Fire Case Analysis" as his master's thesis at Kangwon National University in 2012.

▲ Gangwon Samcheok (58) ▲ Master's degree in Fire Protection and Disaster Management, Graduate School of Kangwon National University ▲ 7th class Fire Officer Candidate ▲ Chief of Donghae Fire Station (Local Fire Lieutenant) ▲ Principal of Gangwon Fire Academy (Fire Lieutenant) ▲ Director of Fire Disaster Situation Room, National Fire Protection Agency ▲ Policy Support Officer, Fire Policy Division, Central Fire Headquarters, Ministry of Public Safety and Security ▲ Head of Gangwon Fire Headquarters ▲ Planning and Coordination Officer of National Fire Agency (Fire Commissioner) ▲ Deputy Commissioner of National Fire Agency (Fire Commissioner General) ▲ Head of Busan Fire and Disaster Headquarters