Removing Straw from a Water Cup and Placing Chrysanthemums... Firefighter's Memorial Video Goes Viral

Amid ongoing controversy over Gyeonggi Provincial Governor Choo Mi-ae's remarks regarding so-called "firefighting financial straws," a memorial video for the late Fire Inspector Kim Jin-seok, produced by an active-duty firefighter alluding to the comments, is drawing widespread attention online.

Firefighter Na Gyeong-jin of the Jincheon Fire Station in North Chungcheong Province, who runs the YouTube channel "Firefighter Uncle," posted a 1-minute and 8-second video titled "Straw" yesterday (October 20).

The video shows Firefighter Na, wearing a mourning ribbon, pulling a yellow straw out of a glass of water and placing a single white chrysanthemum in its place.

The video proceeds without any spoken words or explanations, ending with the caption, "Rest in peace, Fire Inspector Kim Jin-seok."

The straw in the video is seen as reminiscent of Governor Choo's "firefighting financial straw" remarks, and is interpreted as an indirect criticism of those comments.

In the description box of the video, Firefighter Na wrote, "I pray for the repose of the late Fire Inspector Kim Jin-seok, who fulfilled his duty to the end to protect the lives and safety of citizens at the Bucheon factory fire scene in Gyeonggi Province," adding, "I wish for a speedy recovery of the fellow senior and junior firefighters who operated at that fire scene."

The video has gone viral, recording over 300,000 views as of around 4:00 PM on October 21.

Comments poured in expressing condolences for the fallen Fire Inspector Kim Jin-seok, along with remarks such as "This is true satire" and "The straw remark was shocking."

Firefighter Na has been running the YouTube channel "Firefighter Uncle" since November 2021, creating content that delivers firefighting and safety information—which can otherwise feel rigid—in a fun and approachable way using various costumes, memes, and music.

(Photo: Capture from YouTube channel Firefighter Uncle, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.