64th Firefighting Day commemoration ceremony... “Following daily routine is the reason for existence”

Four people, including Fire Chief Kim Jae-hong, were awarded... Dedicated memorial plaque to the late Kim Jin-seok, Fire Commissioner

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Hong Jun-seok = The National Fire Agency announced that it held a ceremony commemorating the '64th Firefighting Day' at the Sejong Arts Center at 11:09 a.m. on the 9th.

The theme of the day's ceremony was 'Korea's fire service, the little god who saves lives and protects the world.' The slogan used calligraphy that reconstructed the lifetime handwriting of the late Seongchiin Fire Marshal, Fire Inspector Park Seung-won, and Noh Tae-young, who died on the line of duty at the disaster site.

The commemorative ceremony was held in the following order: national ritual, theme video screening, awards for meritorious services, commemorative speech, screening of video letter of appreciation, declaration of on-site safety practices, and congratulatory performance.

Government awards were given to Fire Department Fire Marshal Kim Jae-hong, Andong Fire Station's male volunteer firefighter Kim Eun-hyeon, Anseong Fire Station's fire boat Jang Jin-sik, and Yeosu Fire Department. In the video letter of appreciation, the case of Kim Malk-eun, who was urgently transported with the help of firefighters and gave birth to triplets safely, was introduced.

On this day, the '2026 Memorial Plaque Dedication Ceremony for Fallen Firefighters' was also held at the National Fire Agency's memorial space for fallen firefighters.

Minister of Public Administration and Security Yoon Ho-jung, National Fire Agency Commissioner Choi Yong-cheol, and other National Fire Agency executives and employees who participated in the dedication ceremony paid tribute to the sacrifice and dedication of the late Fire Commissioner Kim Jin-seok, who died in the Bucheon factory fire on the 17th of last month.

A red flower-shaped metal symbol created with the motif of 'Hwahong (花紅)', the representative work of artist Kim Byeong-jong's 'Song of Life' series, was attached to the commemorative plaque for Fire Chief Kim.

As a result, the number of plaques for fallen firefighters and volunteer firefighters enshrined in the memorial space ranks 275th in total.

Minister Yoon Ho-jung said, "We will never forget the sacrifices of the 275 people enshrined here, including the four who left us this year. We will do our best to give proper respect to firefighters who died in the line of duty and support their bereaved families, and we will do our best to prevent the unfortunate sacrifice from being repeated."

Commissioner Choi Yong-cheol commemorated the noble sacrifice of firefighters who died while protecting the people, conveyed deep condolences to the bereaved families, and emphasized, “Protecting the ordinary daily lives of the people is the most obvious reason for the existence of firefighting.”