Birthday Gift Placed at the Grave of Firefighter Who Died in the Line of Duty Stolen

Shoes Left by Acquaintance Disappear, Only Empty Box and Letter Remain
Bereaved Family "Hurt by Disrespectful Behavior... Reported to Police"

It was recently revealed that a birthday gift left by an acquaintance at the grave of the late Firefighter Seong Gong-il, who died in the line of duty at a fire scene in Gimje, Jeonbuk last month, has gone missing. In response, the bereaved family has filed a complaint with the police.

The appearance of the tomb of Firefighter Goseong-il before his shoes were stolen
[Photo by Yonhap News]

According to a Yonhap News report on the 7th, on the 1st, an acquaintance of Firefighter Seong visited the grave prepared at Daejeon National Cemetery and left a pair of shoes as a gift. These shoes were originally prepared to be given on Seong’s birthday, which was on the 16th of last month, but since Seong died in the line of duty on the 6th, ten days before his birthday, the gift was delivered belatedly.

Only two days after the gift was left, on the 3rd, when the bereaved family visited the grave, the shoes had already disappeared, leaving only an empty box and a note at the site. The family shared this on social media (SNS), saying, “We visited our brother’s grave worried that the gift might get wet due to the rain, but only an empty box and a note remained,” and added, “We inquired at the National Cemetery just in case, but were told there were no items being kept.”

They continued, “The disrespectful act toward the deceased has caused the family further pain,” and “To prevent such incidents from recurring, we decided to report it to the police.” It is reported that the family has submitted a complaint to the Yuseong Police Station in Daejeon.

The deceased passed away around 8:33 p.m. on the 6th of last month while conducting a rescue operation at a house fire in Geumsan-myeon, Gimje City. After an elderly woman who had evacuated earlier informed him that there was one more person inside, he entered the house to rescue a man in his 70s but was unable to escape in time and was found dead alongside the man.

Firefighter Seong was a “rookie” firefighter with less than a year of service. He had aspired to become a firefighter since high school and had long prepared to achieve his dream, showing exceptional pride and responsibility in his profession. The government posthumously awarded him the Order of Okjo Geunjeong and promoted him one rank in honor of his sacrifice and strong sense of duty.