'Dad, I still miss you so much': Fallen firefighter's daughter writes letter to father

"Dad passed away on Saturday and I still miss you so much." A handwritten letter from the young daughter of the late Fire Lieutenant Kim Jin-seok, who died in the line of duty at a fire in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, has been made public.

Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Song Young-gil, who represents Incheon's Yeonsu-gap district, posted the letter Sunday on his Facebook page. The letter was written by Kim's daughter, who is set to start elementary school next year.

The girl opened the short note with "To my dear dad" and wrote: "Dad passed away on Saturday and I still miss you so much. We're at the funeral home right now." She continued: "I know, Dad. I know you loved me most. I miss you so much — let's make sure we meet again someday. By then, I'll probably be all grown up."

She closed with: "I love you. I miss you, Dad. I love you." Beside the words, she had drawn a fire truck with the word "dispatch" written next to it.

Song, who visited the funeral home to pay his respects, wrote on social media: "Seeing the letter that his six-year-old daughter wrote to her dad, placed in front of his portrait photo, brought tears to my eyes. I resolve to do everything I can to prevent the tragedy of a firefighter's goodbye before a shift becoming their last."

According to the family, Kim was an 11-year veteran of the fire department who had been about to finish a 24-hour shift and was due to clock out at 9 a.m. on the day of the fire.

But when a fire alarm came in at 8:38 a.m., he climbed aboard the fire truck without hesitation — just over 20 minutes before his shift was to end.

Kim and three colleagues arrived as the first unit on the scene and immediately entered the building's third floor to fight the blaze. The fire spread rapidly, trapping Kim and one other firefighter inside.

The colleague who entered with him was eventually rescued, but Kim was found about five meters deeper inside the building, 27 minutes later. He was already in cardiac arrest.

Kim, who had been married for eight years, had been planning to move with his wife and daughter to an apartment in Gyeonggi Province, setting up a new home ahead of his daughter starting elementary school next year.

The fire broke out at 8:38 a.m. Friday at a metal injection printing factory in Naedong, Ojeong-gu, Bucheon, and was extinguished after two hours and 28 minutes. Kim died in the blaze, and another firefighter in his 40s was seriously injured. Four other firefighters were treated for heat exhaustion and two factory workers were hospitalized for smoke inhalation, bringing the total number of casualties to eight.

Gyeonggi Province will hold Kim's funeral as a provincial government ceremony. The funeral home has been set up at Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital.

The government posthumously promoted Kim one rank, from fire sergeant to fire lieutenant, in recognition of his dedication and sacrifice, and said it would pursue a posthumous award of the Order of Service Merit. The government also plans to support his burial at the National Cemetery.