Dedication Bridging 55 Years... 'Police Heroes' Late Sergeant Shim Yeonsu and Senior Inspector Kim Seonhyeon Named

To mark the 81st Police Day, the late Police Sergeant Sim Yeonsu and the late Senior Inspector Kim Seonhyeon were named this year's Police Heroes. The two officers died in the line of duty in different eras and at different locations, 55 years apart. Yet both left behind a noble legacy of confronting danger without hesitation to protect the lives and safety of the public.

The National Police Agency announced on October 21 that it had named Police Sergeant Sim Yeonsu and Senior Inspector Kim Seonhyeon its 2026 Police Heroes. Since 2017, the agency has named officers who embody the police spirit of sacrifice and service to the nation and the public as Police Heroes each year. The honors commemorate their noble deeds and provide serving officers with examples to follow in the field.

The late Police Sergeant Sim Yeonsu (left) and the late Senior Inspector Kim Seonhyeon, named this year's Police Heroes. National Police Agency.

Police Sergeant Sim joined the police force in 1948 and later served in the Korean War. He went on to serve at locations including the Mukho Branch of Gangneung Police Station in Gangwon Province, where he was responsible for the safety of local residents. In the early hours of June 11, 1963, while patrolling the area around Mukho Station, he spotted an intoxicated man walking on the tracks as a train approached. Although the train was coming in at high speed, Sim leapt onto the tracks without hesitation, saving the man and losing his life in the line of duty. In 2019, the National Police Agency established a memorial at Mukho Station to honor Sim's service and designated the surrounding area as a police pilgrimage route.

Senior Inspector Kim was serving in Yeongyang County, North Gyeongsang Province, when he responded on July 8, 2018, to a 112 emergency call reporting a disturbance. As he tried to subdue a suspect charging at his colleagues and members of the public with a weapon, Kim was stabbed. He was taken to a hospital but ultimately died in the line of duty. Even in the face of unpredictable danger, he never wavered in his duty as a police officer to protect local residents. His spirit of sacrifice and sense of responsibility live on in his daughter.

Senior Inspector Kim's daughter and son-in-law are both serving police officers. Senior Police Officer Kim Seongeun, who said she dreamed of becoming a police officer while watching her father as a child, shared her thoughts at the Police Day ceremony that day: "I think I finally understand how my father felt when he put himself in harm's way without a moment to feel afraid whenever someone was in danger."

An National Police Agency official said, "The two Police Heroes lived half a century apart, but the values they sought to protect were exactly the same." The official added, "The police spirit of these two heroes, who put the lives and safety of the public above all else and protected them, shows what the police's duty is - something that does not change even as the times do."

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