"Dedicated Firefighters, We Will Not Forget"… Waves of Mourning Online

29-year-old Fire Sergeant Im Seongcheol Dies in Residential Warehouse Fire
Citizens and Netizens Pay Tribute... Funeral at Jeju Halla Gymnasium on the 5th

A wave of mourning continues for the late Firefighter Im Seong-cheol (29), who died in the line of duty while extinguishing a fire in Seogwipo, Jeju, on the 1st. Over 5,000 people (as of 8 p.m. on the 2nd) paid tribute to him at the online memorial hall.

Firefighter Im died after being struck by debris from a collapsed building while putting out a fire at a warehouse next to a house in Pyoseon-myeon, Seogwipo City, Jeju, around 1:09 a.m. on the 1st.

Fallen firefighter at the fire scene extinguishing flames
Photo by Yonhap News

At the time, Firefighter Im was the first to arrive at the accident scene as the lead responder. After evacuating an elderly couple in their 80s who were in the house attached to the burning warehouse, he was fatally injured. Despite wearing a safety helmet, he suffered a severe head injury and was transported to the hospital but ultimately passed away.

Im, who majored in emergency medical services in college, began his firefighting career five years ago in 2019 in Changwon, Gyeongnam. Since 2021, he had been serving in his hometown of Jeju. He was a dedicated firefighter who never hesitated at fire and emergency scenes.

Colleagues and citizens gathered at the joint memorial altar set up in the first-floor conference room of the Jeju City Yeondong Fire Safety Headquarters and at the Bumin Funeral Hall in Jeju City to mourn the tragic death of the young firefighter in his twenties, who led by example with strong professionalism. Many citizens were reported to have burst into tears while gazing at his portrait in the mourning hall.

The late Fire Sergeant Im Seong-cheol Citizen Memorial Altar [Photo by Yonhap News]

Fire officials also stood vigil at the altar with mourning ribbons, their faces somber. Senior officials from the Jeju Provincial Government visited the altar to offer flowers and incense.

Citizens unable to visit the altar paid their respects at the online memorial hall set up on the Jeju Fire Headquarters website. By 8 p.m. on the 2nd, over 5,000 people had offered flowers and paid tribute.

A citizen who identified as a friend of Firefighter Im left a message saying, "If you want anything, tell me in your dreams, I will grant it all. Please come, many friends want to see you. Seong-cheol, I want to keep calling your name. I miss you, you worked hard and endured a lot. I love you."

Netizens also left condolence messages such as, "We will long remember your noble spirit of sacrifice and dedication to the safety of the residents," "As a citizen, I will keep in my heart the courage, responsibility, and spirit of sacrifice shown by the Firefighter," and "You gave your life at such a young age to save others. May you rest peacefully in a better place."

On the 2nd, senior officials from Jeju Provincial Government are paying their respects by offering flowers at the condolence altar for the late Fire Chief Im Seong-cheol, set up in the meeting room on the 1st floor of the Jeju Fire Safety Headquarters in Yeondong, Jeju City.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Both ruling and opposition parties mourned Firefighter Im. Kang Sa-bin, the standing deputy spokesperson of the People Power Party, released a statement saying, "We pray for the repose of the deceased who lost his life protecting the lives and property of the people from the flames, and we offer our sincere condolences to the bereaved family who are in deep sorrow." Oh Young-hwan, a member of the Democratic Party and former firefighter, wrote on Facebook, "His passionate mission, his shining young dreams, and his future have all now become stars in the sky. I am overwhelmed with grief."

Firefighter Im’s funeral will be held as a Jeju Special Self-Governing Province funeral. The farewell ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. on the 5th at the Halla Gymnasium of Jeju Sports Complex, with Jeju Governor Oh Young-hoon serving as the funeral committee chairman. His remains are scheduled to be interred on the same day at the National Jeju Memorial Cemetery. President Yoon Suk-yeol posthumously promoted Firefighter Im by one rank and awarded him the Order of Okjo Geunjeong.