Entered the Mudflats to Leave Chrysanthemums at the Site
32 Special Operations Members and 6 Patrol Vessels Deployed for Rescue
Dozens of marine police officers and firefighters were dispatched after the duty team leader of the police substation, who had been on duty at the time of the accident involving the late Sergeant Lee Jaeseok-who died while rescuing an elderly person stranded in the mudflats-entered the mudflats near the accident site, saying he wanted to pay his respects.
Sergeant Lee Jaeseok, a marine police officer who died in the line of duty while rescuing a person stranded on a mudflat, is seen on the 22nd visiting the memorial site of the bereaved families at the police substation on duty, offering his apologies. Photo by Yonhap News
According to Yonhap News on September 22, the Incheon Coast Guard and fire authorities stated that at 11:55 a.m. that day, they received a report that Inspector A had entered the mudflats near the Haneulgorae Observatory on Yeongheungdo Island, Ongjin County, Incheon.
Inspector A, who was the duty team leader at the substation at the time of the fatal accident, visited the memorial site of Sergeant Lee’s bereaved family earlier that day, knelt down to apologize, and then entered the mudflats near Kkotseom, saying he would leave chrysanthemums at the accident site.
In response to Inspector A’s unexpected action, the Coast Guard deployed a total of 32 personnel-including the Special Operations Unit of the Central Coast Guard Agency, Yeongheung Substation, New Port Rescue Team, and Incheon Rescue Team from the Incheon Coast Guard, as well as the Pyeongtaek Rescue Team and Ansan Rescue Team from the Pyeongtaek Coast Guard-along with six patrol vessels.
Following a joint response request, the fire authorities also sent four firefighters and two vehicles to the scene to rescue Inspector A.
The Coast Guard subsequently rescued Inspector A by boat at 1:06 p.m., when the water had risen to between his ankles and knees.
It was reported that a sign at the coastal gate where Inspector A entered read, "Unauthorized entry is prohibited without prior consent from the fishing village association. Violators will be punished in accordance with relevant laws, so please be aware." However, this sign was installed by the fishing village association to protect marine product seeds, and entry itself is not considered illegal.
On September 11 at 2:16 a.m., Sergeant Lee went missing while rescuing a Chinese man in his 70s, identified as Mr. B, who had become stranded in the mudflats of Yeongheungdo Island. Sergeant Lee handed Mr. B a life jacket and attempted the rescue, but was swept away by the rising tide at 3:27 a.m., about an hour later. He was found in cardiac arrest at 9:41 a.m., approximately six hours later, in the waters near Kkotseom, Yeongheung-myeon, Ongjin County, Incheon.
At the time of the incident, Sergeant Lee was on duty with a total of six people, but it was reported that four of them, excluding Sergeant Lee and the team leader, were resting. While Sergeant Lee was fighting for his life at sea, the duty team leader did not wake the other colleagues. Four colleagues from the substation held a press conference at Cheonggiwa Funeral Hall in Dong-gu, Incheon, where Sergeant Lee's memorial altar was set up, stating, "As team members, we should have been the first to know about the situation, but we only learned about it through the news, which is deeply regrettable and frustrating," and "At the time, the duty team leader did not share any information via the disaster radio network."
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