Korean National Police Agency selects recipients for special life-saving commendation
Officers who rushed into burning home, jumped into rain-lashed lake recognized
Officers who saved lives in the line of duty are to receive the Korean National Police Agency's special commendation for life-saving service.
The agency announced Monday that it had selected 23 officers who risked their lives to save citizens and would award a total of 40 million won ($30,200) in special commendation bonuses. The award recognizes public servants who have saved lives through personal sacrifice.
On day off, officer rushes into burning home to rescue elderly woman
Inspector Yoo Myeong-jae of the Gongsan Police Box under the Naju Police Station in South Jeolla Province will receive 3 million won for rescuing a woman in her 80s from a house engulfed in flames.
On May 25, while spending a day off with his family, Yoo spotted a fire that had started in a storage shed attached to a nearby house and was spreading to the rest of the building. He moved to help contain the blaze, and when a neighbor shouted that someone was still inside, he entered the house — filled with intense heat and thick black smoke — and safely evacuated the resident.
Officer dives into rain-lashed lake to pull woman to safety
Sergeant Eom Tae-uk of the West District Unit under the Chuncheon Police Station in Gangwon Province will receive 2 million won for rescuing a woman in her 50s from a lake during a heavy downpour.
On the evening of June 4, with rain falling at up to 16 millimeters per hour, a Code 0 emergency dispatch came in reporting that someone had jumped from a bridge. Eom, the first officer to arrive at the scene, spotted the woman floating motionless in the middle of Uiam Lake in Chuncheon.
Deciding there was no time to wait for a rescue boat, Eom retrieved a life jacket from his patrol car's trunk and jumped into the swift current. He swam roughly 50 meters to reach the woman and brought her safely to shore. The rescued woman visited the district unit the following day to express her gratitude.
Officers stand guard at door despite being told to leave
Senior Constable Park Geon-ho and two other officers from the Duam District Unit of the Gwangju Northern Police Station will receive 3 million won for rescuing a man in crisis.
On July 11, Park and his colleagues responded to a call from a man who said he no longer wanted to live after losing a young child. The man told the officers he was fine and asked them to leave, but they refused and remained at his front door, working to persuade him.
When screams erupted from inside the home, the waiting officers immediately re-entered and performed CPR on the man, whose breathing had stopped, saving his life.
A police agency official said the agency plans to continue identifying and recognizing frontline officers who quietly dedicate themselves to protecting the lives of the public, and to put in place a range of commendation measures including citations.
Kim Jong-cheol, acting commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency, said the most fundamental and foremost duty of the police is always to protect the lives of the people, and pledged that the agency would remain by the public's side and serve with unwavering commitment.
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