Killed in the Line of Duty During Accident Response... Minister Yoon Hojung Pays Respects at Jeonju Funeral Hall

Minister Yoon Personally Awards Green Stripes Order of Service Merit to Fallen Officer
Pays Tribute to the Late Officer Killed by a Drowsy Driver

Yoon Hojung, Minister of the Interior and Safety, visited the funeral hall set up for the late Police Lieutenant Lee Seungcheol at the Jeonju Civic Funeral Culture Center in Jeonbuk on the 5th. He responded to reporters' questions afterward. Photo by Yonhap News

Yoon Hojung, Minister of the Interior and Safety, visited the memorial altar of the late Police Lieutenant Lee Seungcheol (55) on January 5 to pay his respects and honor Lee's noble sacrifice. Lee died in the line of duty after being struck by a drowsy driver while investigating a highway traffic accident.

At around noon that day, Minister Yoon visited the Jeonju Civic Funeral Culture Center in Jeonbuk, where the memorial altar was set up, and expressed his deep gratitude for the deceased's dedication while offering condolences to the bereaved family.

After paying his respects, Minister Yoon told reporters, "To honor the late officer, who sacrificed his life while protecting the lives of the people, we have posthumously awarded him the Green Stripes Order of Service Merit. We will work with related agencies such as the National Police Agency and Korea Expressway Corporation to improve on-site safety manuals, so that such tragedies involving public officials during accident response do not happen again."

Earlier, at 1:23 a.m. the previous day, Police Lieutenant Lee Seungcheol was killed in the line of duty when he was struck by a drowsy driver while handling a traffic accident near the Gochang Interchange on the Seohaean Expressway.

The police have arrested the driver of the vehicle, a 38-year-old, on charges of violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Settlement of Traffic Accidents and have applied for a detention warrant.

The funeral ceremony for Police Lieutenant Lee will be solemnly held at 9 a.m. on January 6 at the Ongoeul Hall of the Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency, with the chief of the Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency presiding.