GS Caltex Foundation Presents 'True People Award' to 12, Including Citizens Who Subdued Knife-Wielding Assailant

2026 GS Caltex True People Award Ceremony Held
Eight Recipients in Heroism Category, Three in Good-Deeds Category, and One Organization Selected
Recipients Include Citizens Who Subdued a Knife-Wielding Assailant and a Dentist Providing Free Care

The GS Caltex Foundation, chaired by Huh Jin-soo, presented its True Person Award to 12 individuals and groups, including citizens who subdued an armed assailant with their bare hands and a dentist who has provided free treatment for nearly 30 years.

Award recipients pose for a commemorative photo at the 2026 GS Caltex True Person Award ceremony held at GS Tower in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on the 28th. GS Caltex Foundation

The foundation said on October 29 that it held the 2026 GS Caltex True Person Award ceremony at GS Tower in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on October 28, presenting plaques and prize money to eight recipients in the Heroism category, three in the Good Deeds category, and one organization. Established in 2020, the award recognizes and encourages people who risk their lives to save others or consistently do good for their neighbors.

According to the foundation, the Heroism category recipients included Na Hyeonjun, Shin Insu, Shin Junghyun, Lee Hyeonmin and Kim Jungyeon, who subdued a person rampaging with knives tied to both hands at a commercial building in Guwol-dong, Namdong-gu, Incheon, on October 13. They pursued the assailant and threw chairs to block his way in, then joined together to restrain him after he fell and remove the knives, preventing further harm.

Also among the recipients were Ko Yeongu, a sergeant with the Army’s 22nd Infantry Division, who rescued a 13-year-old swept away by waves at a beach in Geojin-eup, Goseong-gun, Gangwon Province, on July 19, when a heavy rain advisory was in effect; and Lee Donggyu, an employee of the Jeonju Facilities Management Corporation, who rescued a father and daughter being swept out to sea by taking them onto his surfboard at Hamdeok Beach on Jeju Island on September 15. Kim Sewung was also recognized for helping apprehend a suspect to the end despite being stabbed while pursuing the assailant in a robbery at a commercial building in Geumho-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju, on February 2, despite being visually impaired.

In the Good Deeds category, the award went to Park Yungyu, a dentist in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, who has provided free treatment for nearly 30 years in medically underserved areas at home and abroad after losing one leg in a train accident; and Nanumnurihoe, a residents’ group in Gayang-dong, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, which has prepared breakfasts for children in need and delivered side dishes to vulnerable people since 1996. Lee Wonsuk, a conductor who has helped young people with disabilities and from low-income families become performers in the Beautiful Mind Orchestra, Korea’s first integrated orchestra for musicians with and without disabilities, and Lee Bokdan, who has delivered lunchboxes and side dishes to older adults living alone and others every weekday for more than 20 years, also received awards.

A foundation representative said, “The spirit of those who risk their lives to save others and of those who have reached out to their neighbors over many years is a pillar of our society. We will continue to seek out and support people who dedicate themselves to others.”

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