Opposition Leaders Pay Respects to Firefighter Killed in Bucheon Fire... Gyeonggi Governor Choo Mi-ae to Attend Funeral Tomorrow

Jang Donghyuk: "The State Must Protect Firefighters’ Safety"
Gyeonggi Province Audit Postponed to 1 p.m. on the 19th

People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk and floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik visited the funeral altar for Fire Lieutenant Kim Jin-seok, who died in the line of duty while fighting a fire at a factory in Bucheon, to pay their respects and called for improvements to firefighter safety measures. Gyeonggi Governor Choo Mi-ae also postponed the Gyeonggi Province audit by the National Assembly’s Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, originally scheduled for the morning of October 19, until 1 p.m. so she could attend Kim’s funeral that morning.

On the morning of October 18, Jang and Jeong visited the funeral altar for the late Kim at Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital and offered their condolences to his bereaved family.

After paying his respects, Jang told reporters, "The state must protect the safety of firefighters who protect the lives and safety of the public." He added, "We must review safety measures so that those who protect the lives and safety of the public can carry out their duties safely, and thoroughly address any shortcomings."

He continued, "Seeing the letter written by the deceased's 7-year-old child makes my heart feel as though it is crumbling. And the one thing his spouse asked through tears—that the child be allowed to grow up well—weighs heavily on my heart." He added, "I will do my utmost to ensure that his sacrifice was not in vain."

People Power Party floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik watches news about the late Fire Lieutenant Kim Jinseok, who died in the line of duty while fighting a fire at a factory in Bucheon, ahead of a press briefing on issues related to the parliamentary audit at the National Assembly on the 18th. Yonhap News.

In the condolence book, Jeong wrote, "I will hold deep in my heart the noble sacrifice made to protect the lives of the public. The Republic of Korea will never forget his noble purpose." Earlier, at a press briefing at the National Assembly, he also expressed his condolences, saying, "I pay tribute to his devotion in carrying out his duty to the very end to protect public safety."

People Power Party lawmaker Na Kyung-won also visited the funeral altar and paid her respects that day. In a Facebook post, she said that structural problems remained in budgets and the chain of command even after firefighters became national civil servants.

Na said, "I can still vividly remember the firefighters celebrating on the day they became national civil servants. It must not have been only about their treatment. It was probably about the pride and honor of knowing that the state recognized their sacrifice and devotion." She added, "But reality was different. In practice, the budget and chain of command remained as they had been when firefighters were local government employees."

Taking aim at Governor Choo, she continued, "At the end of those structural contradictions, we even had a governor who called the fire service a 'fiscal drain.'" She added, "I will create a system in which the state takes responsibility, in keeping with their status as national civil servants."

Lee Ki-in, interim leader of the Reform Party, and Cheon Ha-ram, the party's floor leader, also visited the funeral altar that morning to pay tribute to the deceased and offer their condolences to his bereaved family.

Gyeonggi Province said that day that it had coordinated the schedule with the National Assembly committee because Governor Choo would attend Kim's funeral, which was to be held at Bucheon Gymnasium at 9:30 a.m. on October 19. The audit, originally scheduled for 10 a.m., was moved to 1 p.m.

On October 17, Gyeonggi Province formed a funeral committee of around 20 members, chaired by Governor Choo, to honor the deceased's sacrifice and pay him due respect. At the funeral, he is to be posthumously promoted one rank, from Fire Captain to Fire Lieutenant, in recognition of his service, and awarded the Order of Service Merit, Okjo Class. He will then be laid to rest at Seoul National Cemetery. Gyeonggi Province is also pursuing the administrative procedures required to designate him a person of national merit.

On October 16, Fire Lieutenant Kim was deployed as part of the first response team to a factory fire in Bucheon and took part in firefighting efforts. He was taken to hospital but died at around 12:55 a.m. on October 17. Another firefighter was seriously injured in the fire, and four firefighters showed symptoms of heat exhaustion. Two factory employees were also taken to hospital after inhaling smoke, bringing the total number of people injured or otherwise affected to eight.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.