[Anchor]
The funeral for Fire Inspector Kim Jin-seok, who died in the line of duty while battling a factory fire in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, will be solemnly held tomorrow (October 19). Mourners continue to visit his wake to pay their respects.
Reporter Yun Nara has the details.
[Reporter]
The funeral for the late Fire Inspector Kim Jin-seok, who made the ultimate sacrifice while fighting a factory fire in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, will take place tomorrow.
The funeral service, scheduled for 9:30 a.m. at the Bucheon Gymnasium, will be held as a Gyeonggi Provincial Office funeral at the request of the bereaved family.
During the ceremony, Fire Inspector Kim—who was posthumously promoted one rank—will be awarded the Okjo Order of Service Merit, and he will be laid to rest at a National Cemetery following the service.
At 44 years old with 11 years of service, Fire Inspector Kim had just finished his 24-hour shift and was about 20 minutes away from leaving work when a report of a factory fire came in. He was the first to enter the burning building to suppress the fire when he met his tragic fate.
The bereaved family told SBS reporters, "We remember how overjoyed he was when he was appointed as a firefighter," and burst into tears, adding, "He has a daughter who is set to enter elementary school early next year."
A steady stream of firefighters and citizens alike have been visiting the wake set up at Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital and the joint memorial altar in Sejong to pay their respects.
[Ahn Jun-shik / Busan: My heart aches. I hope we become more vigilant about safety and improve institutional measures so tragedies like this don't happen again...]
President Lee Jae-myung visited the wake at around 6:00 p.m. yesterday to offer condolences, saying, "We will not forget the deceased's sacrifice. We will thoroughly inspect safety measures to ensure frontline officers can carry out their duties safely," while comforting the family and posthumously conferring the decoration.
Gyeonggi Governor Choo Mi-ae, who recently sparked controversy with her remarks about a "fiscal straw," visited the wake yesterday to pay her respects and apologized, stating, "It was simply a slip of the tongue while discussing structural issues, and I had no intention whatsoever to disparage firefighters."
Gyeonggi Province has formed a funeral committee chaired by Governor Choo and initiated procedures to designate Fire Inspector Kim as a person of national merit.
(Video Editing: Lee Sang-min)
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.