Jeon Changsin and Lee Gitae Selected as "2025 Police Heroes"

The National Police Agency announced on October 19, 2025, that it has selected Jeon Changsin and Lee Gitae as the "2025 Police Heroes."

Inspector Jeon is a police officer who was formerly an independence activist and led the March 1st Movement in the Hamhung region in 1919. At that time, he was in charge of preparing the Taegukgi, mobilizing women, and maintaining communications. On March 3, 1919, he led a demonstration with hundreds of people and was arrested, serving time in prison. Shortly after Korea’s liberation in 1946, he applied to become a female police officer candidate to help stabilize public order in the chaotic nation, and was appointed the same year. In 1950, he was appointed as the head of the Incheon Women’s Police Station, and during his tenure, he established the Police Welfare Center, dedicating himself to supporting the socially disadvantaged.

Inspector Lee, on October 21, 2015, while working at the Naedong Police Substation of Gyeongju Police Station in North Gyeongsang Province, responded to a report of a disturbance at a motel near Bulguksa Temple. While escorting a teenage boy with an intellectual disability to his guardian, the boy suddenly ran onto the railway tracks and lay down. Despite the imminent danger of an approaching train, Inspector Lee did not hesitate to jump onto the tracks to rescue him.

An official from the National Police Agency stated, "This year marks the very meaningful 80th anniversary of Korea’s liberation and the founding of the National Police," adding, "We have selected senior police officers who prioritized national independence and the safety of the people as Police Heroes, and we will carry on their spirit of serving only the nation and its people."