Oil refinery supports family of deceased firefighter

S-Oil Corp. has donated funds to the family of a firefighter who died on duty only a couple days before Chuseok, the Korean thanksgiving, the company said on Tuesday.

The country’s third-largest oil refiner delivered 30 million won ($27,000) to the bereaved family of Kim Seong-eun, the deceased firefighter.

Kim died after inhaling an excessive amount of toxic gas while extinguishing fire at a corporate warehouse in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, on Sept. 27. The firefighter was immediately transferred to a hospital but died the next day.

“(Kim) fully dedicated himself to his duty without complaining about tough working conditions. May he rest in peace,” an official of S-Oil said in a condolence message.

With its “Guardians for Brave Firefighter” program and in partnership with the National Emergency Management Agency, the company has supported the families of 31 firefighters who died on duty since 2006.

By Chung Joo-won  (joowonc@heraldcorp.com)