Fallen Firefighters Including the Late Cha Jungkyu Laid to Rest in the National Cemetery

National Fire Agency Holds 'Joint Funeral Ceremony for Fallen Firefighters' at Daejeon National Cemetery

The National Fire Agency announced on the 24th that it held a 'Joint Funeral Ceremony for Fallen Firefighters' at the National Daejeon National Cemetery on the 23rd. A total of 13 firefighters were honored, all of whom lost their lives in the line of duty in various locations across the country?including Busan, Gwangju, Incheon, Gangwon, and Changwon?from 1994 to recent years.

About 350 people attended the joint funeral ceremony, which was organized by the Memorial Association for Fallen Firefighters. Attendees included bereaved families, Lee Heewan, Vice Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, Lee Youngpal, Deputy Commissioner of the National Fire Agency, fellow firefighters, and volunteer firefighters, who gathered to mourn and pay tribute to the deceased.

The National Fire Agency held a 'Joint Funeral Ceremony for Fallen Firefighters' on the 23rd at the National Daejeon National Cemetery. National Fire Agency

The 13 firefighters interred at the National Daejeon National Cemetery are: the late Fire Superintendent Pyo Seungwan, the late Fire Captain Sung Jaehyun, the late Fire Lieutenant Lee Sangyoung, the late Fire Sergeant Cha Jungkyu, the late Fire Sergeant Kim Junggeun, the late Fire Sergeant Lee Chulkwon, the late Fire Sergeant Lee Sungchan, the late Fire Sergeant Kim Daehyun, the late Fire Sergeant Kim Hakbin, the late Fire Corporal Kim Jaechun, the late Fire Corporal Jeon Eungyun, the late Fire Corporal Kim Donghyuk, and the late Firefighter Kang Seungwoo. The late Fire Sergeant Cha Jungkyu from Gwangju Seobu Fire Station was laid to rest in the national cemetery 30 years after his passing. The late Fire Sergeant Kim Junggeun from Busan Haeundae Fire Station was honored 20 years after his death, and the late Fire Sergeant Lee Chulkwon from Gwangju Dongbu Fire Station was memorialized after 16 years of waiting.

A bereaved family member who attended the ceremony said, "Thank you for remembering and honoring my father. As a citizen, I pay my respects to the courage and dedication of all 13 fallen firefighters, including my father."

Lee Youngpal, Deputy Commissioner of the National Fire Agency, stated, "I am grateful that, although belatedly, we are able to fulfill our promise to honor the fallen firefighters who sacrificed themselves for the nation and its people. We will continue to remember them and do our utmost to ensure they receive the respect they deserve." Since 2023, the National Fire Agency has been holding regular joint funeral ceremonies together with the Memorial Association for Fallen Firefighters.