President Lee has lunch with firefighters: “Your dedication has greatly reduced casualties”

[Financial News] President Lee had lunch with fire service personnel on the 9th, hearing about the hardships they face at disaster sites and their working conditions. He thanked them for helping reduce casualties through their dedication and listened to explanations of mental health issues, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression.
Kang Yoo-jung, Cheong Wa Dae’s senior spokesperson, said in a written briefing that President Lee attended the ceremony marking the 64th anniversary of Firefighters’ Day and then held a luncheon meeting with seven fire service personnel at a restaurant in Sejong City. Personnel working in various areas, including disaster response, rescue and emergency medical services, incident management, and safety education, attended and shared their experiences and challenges in the field.
At the meeting, National Fire Agency Commissioner Choi Yong-cheol said fire service personnel were suffering from PTSD and depression, and explained that 15 of them had died by suicide last year and seven this year. President Lee listened intently when it was noted that fire service personnel have a relatively high suicide rate among uniformed public officials.
President Lee expressed his gratitude, saying that casualties, including deaths, had fallen considerably thanks to the dedication of fire service personnel. Commissioner Choi explained that fire fatalities had declined from 363 under the previous administration to 306 under the current administration, a low level even compared with OECD countries.
The conversation also turned to work practices and duties within the fire service. President Lee said he had friends who were fire service personnel and asked why they were reluctant to work at headquarters. The attendees said they preferred fieldwork to administrative duties.
During a discussion of the automatic promotion system, Interior and Safety Minister Yoon Ho-jung drew laughter by explaining that the fire service ranks are easy to remember with the mnemonic “sa-gyo-jang-wi-gyeong-ryeong.” When President Lee asked about the different duties in the fire service, the personnel said they include rescue, firefighting, emergency medical services, prevention, and communications.
President Lee also heard from a fire service officer who had served for 36 years and was nearing mandatory retirement, as well as personnel who had carried out rescue operations as special-mission personnel at overseas disaster sites, including the floods in Nepal. He asked whether firefighters arrive at wildfire scenes before the Korea Forest Service and whether a range of requests and complaints come in through calls to 119. The attendees said prank calls had decreased considerably compared with the past.
Those at the luncheon included Fire Superintendent Kim Man-jong, who was due to retire at the mandatory retirement age this year and was marking his final Firefighters’ Day in active service, and Senior Firefighter Park Jeong-min, who saved a 50-day-old infant by guiding CPR over a video call.
At the end of the meeting, when President Lee asked whether anyone had any suggestions or anything they wanted to say, one firefighter replied loudly, “I’d like to take a selfie,” drawing laughter. President Lee wrapped up the luncheon by taking a commemorative photo with the attendees.

[email protected] Choi Jong-geun Reporter