Sharing Public Safety Achievements... Honoring Contributors to Child Safety Activities
The police have identified and commended "citizen heroes" who protected children and citizens from various accidents and dangers.
The National Police Agency announced that on the afternoon of the 9th it held the "2026 Child Safety Citizen Hero Awards Ceremony" in collaboration with BGF Retail, which operates the convenience store chain CU, to discover citizen heroes and recognize their contributions. The ceremony took place at the BGF headquarters building in Gangnam District, Seoul, with Kim Hoseung, Director General of the Community Safety and Traffic Bureau at the National Police Agency, BGF Retail CEO Min Seungbae, and 13 award recipients in each category in attendance.
The National Police Agency held the '2026 Child Safety Citizen Hero Awards Ceremony' on the 9th. Shim Woochul and Park Hangyun (second from the left), selected as Child Safety Citizen Heroes, are receiving certificates of appreciation and prize money. Photo by National Police Agency
Park Hangyun and Shim Woochul were selected as child safety citizen heroes. In October last year, the two recipients rescued a three-year-old child who was wandering in an alley and about to run out onto the roadway, moving the child to a safe location. They then protected the child until the police arrived. The National Police Agency presented them with certificates of appreciation, and BGF Retail awarded each of them 1 million won in prize money.
The CU Angels Special Award, which recognizes franchise owners and staff who have had a positive impact on their local communities, went to Kwon Daekeun, owner of the CU Gyeongju Chodanggil branch, for saving a citizen's life through swift first aid. On the 2nd of last month, Owner Kwon found a woman in her 30s who had collapsed from cardiac arrest inside the store and immediately performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). He then safely handed the customer over to the paramedics upon their arrival, and the woman is reported to have regained consciousness and been discharged from the hospital without complications. Kwon received 1 million won in prize money and a certificate from the CEO of BGF Retail.
The National Police Agency and BGF Retail have been consistently collaborating to prevent missing children and strengthen community safety. A representative example of their cooperation is the "I-CU" program, a social contribution initiative under which CU stores provide temporary protection for citizens in need, such as lost children, seniors with dementia, and people with intellectual disabilities, and then hand them over to the police or their families. Since its introduction in 2017, a total of 215 children and others have safely returned to their families through the "I-CU" program.
Kim Hoseung, Director General of the Community Safety and Traffic Bureau at the National Police Agency, said, "For the social safety net, it is important not only for the police but for society as a whole to build a dense web of attention and protection systems," and added, "I would like to express my gratitude to all of today's award recipients and hope that this event will serve as an opportunity to encourage even greater interest and participation."
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