Society "I love you. Missing dad. I love you!"…Letter from daughter of firefighter who died in the line of duty

"Dad, I know you loved me the most. Let's definitely meet again someday. By then, I'll probably be grown up."

The letter from a young daughter promising to meet her father again adds to the heartbreak. The letter was placed at the wake of the late Fire Captain Kim Jin-seok, who died in the line of duty while fighting a factory fire in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. On the eve of entering elementary school next year, the daughter wrote a final farewell to her father alongside a drawing of a fire truck she drew herself.

Rep. Song Young-gil of the Democratic Party shared news of visiting Fire Captain Kim's wake and posted the daughter's letter on social media on the evening of the 17th. The letter begins with the words "To Dad, whom I miss."

"Let's definitely meet again someday"…Young daughter's letter to her father

In the letter, the daughter wrote, "Dad passed away yesterday, and I miss you so much right now. We're at the funeral home." She continued, "I know, Dad loved me the most," and wrote, "Dear Dad, let's definitely meet again someday. By then, I'll probably be grown up." At the end, she left the words, "I love you. Missing Dad. I love you!"

The child drew two fire trucks on paper with crayons, then carefully wrote out what she wanted to say to her dad in deliberate, measured handwriting. Below the letter, she also wrote the date and her name. In the child's words about meeting dad again when she's grown up, there is longing and love for her father.

Rep. Song expressed his sympathy, saying of the deceased, "How could he leave behind his beloved wife and daughter at such a young age, born in 1981," showing his sorrow.

Fire Captain Kim was reportedly preparing to move to a new home with his family recently. His daughter was also preparing to enter elementary school next year. The family was about to face a new beginning together when the father was suddenly taken away.

President Lee Jae-myung also visited the wake at the funeral home of Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital on the afternoon of the 17th to pay his respects. The President asked Fire Captain Kim's wife about their daughter's age, and after hearing that she was seven years old, it is reported that he was unable to speak for some time. Outside the funeral home, when he met the deceased's father, he asked, "Please, let the daughter grow up well."

On the same day, Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae, who visited the wake, reportedly heard from the deceased's father-in-law that his granddaughter had received her school enrollment notice for next year, unable to hide her sorrow.

Dispatched 20 minutes before shift end…Firefighter standing guard at the scene until the end

Fire Captain Kim was deployed as part of the first response team to a factory fire in Naedong, Ojung-gu, Bucheon on the morning of the 16th and engaged in firefighting operations. At that time, approximately 20 minutes remained until the end of his 24-hour shift. However, after a fire report was received, he was dispatched to the scene, and during the firefighting process, he suffered serious injuries, was transported to a hospital, but ultimately passed away.

The deceased, an 11-year veteran firefighter, headed to the fire scene to protect the lives and safety of citizens. News that he died in the line of duty while performing emergency response duties even as his shift was coming to an end has led to tributes from fellow firefighters and citizens.

The fire authorities have bestowed a posthumous promotion by one rank from Fire Lieutenant to Fire Captain to honor his sacrifice, and also awarded him the Medal of Merit. Support for the procedure to bury him in the National Cemetery of Korea is also planned.

The funeral will be held as a state funeral by the Gyeonggi Province governor according to the wishes of the bereaved family. The memorial service is scheduled to be held with full honors at the Bucheon Indoor Gymnasium on the 19th at 10 a.m.

The letter from a young daughter to her father contains the daily life of a family that dreamed of a future together. Tributes from colleagues and citizens continue for the firefighter's final journey, who headed to the scene to protect that daily life.