(Bucheon = Yonhap News) Reporter Choi Eun-ji = Funeral hall at Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital, Bucheon-si, Gyeonggi-do on the afternoon of the 17th.
The atmosphere was somber at the funeral of the late fire chief Kim Jin-seok, who died in a fire at a metal injection printing factory in Nae-dong, Ojeong-gu, Bucheon, that occurred the day before.
Even before the funeral was set up on this day, a procession of condolences from uniformed colleagues and firefighters continued.
Firefighters with gloomy expressions paced in front of the mortuary with their hands clasped together, and some lowered their heads and sighed.
The sudden death of the head of a family with a young daughter who will enter elementary school next year left the funeral home in tears.
In particular, Fire Lieutenant Kim, who has been married for eight years, and his wife, an assistant teacher at a daycare center, were said to have moved to an apartment in Gyeonggi-do just two weeks later and were trying to make a new home, adding to the sadness.
According to the bereaved family, Fire Chief Kim, an 11-year veteran firefighter, was about to leave work at 9 a.m. the previous day after working 24 hours a day.
However, when he heard the news of the fire at 8:38 a.m., he got on the fire truck without hesitation. It was only about 20 minutes left before leaving work.
Four people, including Fire Lieutenant Kim, who arrived first, entered the third floor of the building and began extinguishing the fire, but the fire quickly spread and two people, including him, were stranded inside.
The colleague who entered with him managed to be rescued, but Fire Lieutenant Kim was found 27 minutes later, about 5 meters deeper. He was already in cardiac arrest.
Fire Commissioner Kim's execution said, "I heard that the gas mask was taken off when it was discovered, so I asked the fire department, and they said, 'It has a triple locking mechanism, so it doesn't come off, but it seems to have melted in the heat.'" He sobbed, "I had to breathe in the toxic gas while the rescue was delayed."
When he arrived at the hospital, his condition was so terrible that it was difficult to open his eyes.
The family had to mentally prepare in advance as the medical staff said that even if breathing miraculously returned, there was a high possibility that the patient would be in a vegetative state.
The bereaved family strongly criticized the on-site command and rescue system, saying, “If it were your child, would you have pushed him into that fire pit?”
Firefighter Kim's father-in-law wiped away tears as he showed a notebook filled with the rescue timeline and questions he had at the time.
He said, "All the factory workers had already evacuated outside and there was no need for additional rescue, so I don't know why they sent a worker who was about to leave work to the death without even the slightest understanding of the situation."
He continued, “If it was a dangerous situation, it should have been immediately withdrawn or additional manpower should have been deployed,” adding, “Ultimately, it was a disaster caused by the command’s misjudgment and the absence of an on-site control system,” and called for improvement in the safety system.
He also sobbed loudly in front of Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae, who visited the funeral this afternoon, saying, "My granddaughter received a notice to start school next year. What did the government do to ensure her safety? I didn't know it was so difficult to live a normal daily life in Korea, going to work and returning home."
After giving his condolences for about 30 minutes on this day, Governor Chu apologized for his so-called 'firefighting financial straw' remark, saying, "I had no intention of disparaging firefighters."
One citizen who identified himself as a retired firefighter shouted at Governor Chu, saying, "Did you come here to take a picture? You said such nonsense... please apologize."
Earlier, at 8:38 a.m. the previous day, a fire broke out at a metal injection printing factory in Nae-dong, Ojeong-gu, Bucheon, and was extinguished in 2 hours and 28 minutes.
Firefighter Kim died in the fire, and another firefighter in his 40s was seriously injured.
A total of eight people suffered serious injuries, including four firefighters suffering from heat exhaustion and two factory workers receiving hospital treatment for smoke inhalation.
