President Lee Proposes "Applause of Encouragement" for Firefighter on the Brink

President Lee Jae-myung proposed "applause of encouragement" from attendees at the National Sports Festival opening ceremony, expressing wishes for the recovery of a firefighter who went into cardiac arrest while fighting a factory fire.

According to the Presidential Office on the 17th, President Lee mentioned the sacrifice and dedication of uniformed public servants, including firefighters and soldiers, before delivering remarks at the opening ceremony of the 107th National Sports Festival held at Jeju World Cup Stadium the previous day.

President Lee said, "There are always people around us who sacrifice themselves and dedicate themselves to protecting the safety of us all and the peace of our nation. Thanks to the sacrifice and dedication of soldiers, police officers, firefighters, and uniformed citizens, we are able to enjoy these happy moments even at this very moment."

He continued, "Unfortunately, at this very moment, there is a firefighter hospitalized in cardiac arrest while fighting a fire, and there are also many other injured firefighters," and mentioned firefighters injured in a factory fire in Bucheon.

President Lee pointed out, "While someone's sacrifice is inevitable for our national community to remain peaceful and safe, it is a sad reality that the recognition and compensation given to those individuals is not quite sufficient."

He emphasized, "Compared to how they sacrifice their own lives for our people's safety and well-being, wouldn't any amount of reward be too little to give them?"

After that, President Lee suggested, "For those of you present here—so that the firefighter and other injured firefighters who are currently on the brink recover as soon as possible, and so that the soldiers who were injured while protecting our nation recently also recover—would you join me in offering a round of applause of encouragement?"

At the time, the firefighter was being transported to a hospital and receiving treatment in cardiac arrest.

The firefighter was seriously injured while engaged in firefighting operations at the site of a metal parts plating factory fire in Nae-dong, Ojeong-gu, Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, on the morning of the 16th.

The firefighter, belonging to the first response unit that arrived at the scene, was deployed in firefighting operations with colleagues but became isolated and was transported to a hospital in cardiac arrest.

However, the firefighter ultimately died during treatment on the 17th.

President Lee's proposal for applause of encouragement was made on the evening of the 16th, before the firefighter's death was confirmed.