"Even if I die, I have to die putting out a fire"... A serving firefighter's response to the post saying "Dying in the line of duty is like winning the lottery"

Post Comparing a Firefighter's Death in the Line of Duty to "Winning the Lottery" Sparks Controversy
Serving Firefighter Shares Anguish Over Colleague's Death in the Line of Duty

Amid the death of Fire Lieutenant Kim Jinseok, who died in the line of duty at a factory fire in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, a post saying that “when a firefighter dies in the line of duty, the family is like winning the lottery” has sparked controversy online. A serving firefighter has since shared the anguish of colleagues who rush into dangerous fires while thinking of the families they will leave behind, moving readers.

Firefighters salute the portrait at the funeral service for the late Fire Lieutenant Kim Jinseok, held at Bucheon Gymnasium in Wonmi-gu, Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, on the 19th. Yonhap News Agency

Baek Gyeong (pen name), a serving firefighter who has been in the profession since 2017 and author of the book You Are More Precious, posted a piece titled “I Should Die Putting Out a Fire” on the social media platform Threads on the 19th, in connection with Kim’s death in the line of duty.

In the post, Baek began by saying that someone had commented on Kim’s death: “If a firefighter dies in the line of duty, the family hits the lottery. If 60,000 firefighters contribute condolence money, that comes to KRW 1 billion.”

“When a firefighter dies in the line of duty, fellow firefighters collect condolence money and give it to the bereaved family,” Baek wrote. “It is a large sum that a public servant could not save even over a lifetime of work. It is enough to buy an apartment in a provincial city and to cover the children’s college education.”

Baek continued, “That’s why, among ourselves, we joke that we have to die putting out a fire.” But, Baek admitted, “That joke is not really a joke; it’s an incantation.” Baek added, “Even if it’s hot, I have to go in. Even if I die, I have to die putting out a fire. If I die putting out a fire, my family won’t have to worry.”

Toward the end of the post, Baek wrote, “As you said, we’re lottery tickets that are guaranteed to win 100% if scratched. Thanks to that, we can summon up courage we didn’t have and rush into the scene. Even if I die, I have to die putting out a fire. I repeat the incantation.”

As the post spread, internet users criticized the comparison of firefighters’ sacrifice to financial compensation as inappropriate. They responded, “If it’s a lottery you win by dying, families won’t want it,” “We don’t need that kind of lottery; we just want our husbands to come home safely,” and “It’s devastating that a serving firefighter has to say something like this.”

Meanwhile, Fire Lieutenant Kim was seriously injured while putting out a fire at a factory in Ojeong-gu, Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, on October 16. He was taken to a hospital but died the following day. His funeral was held with honors as a Gyeonggi Province government funeral at Bucheon Gymnasium on October 19. Kim was posthumously promoted one rank and awarded the Order of Service Merit, Jade Stripes.

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