Tributes paid to hero firefighter who died in line of duty

Government officials, fellow firefighters and the bereaved family of Im Seong-cheol attended a memorial for the late firefighter held on Jeju Island on Sunday, commemorating the one-year anniversary of his passing while rescuing an elderly couple in a fire.

Im, who was 29, was dispatched with a firefighting crew to a fire at a factory in Pyoseon-myeon in Seogwipo city on the island on Dec. 1, 2023. After helping the elderly couple to safety, he was extinguishing the fire when the building collapsed, causing critical injuries to his head.

Im was posthumously promoted to the rank of fire sergeant. President Yoon Suk Yeol sent a personal message of tribute.

"It's been a year since I said goodbye to my son. I miss him now that he's gone, but I'm trying to keep his precious memory," Im's father said at the memorial held at the Jeju National Cemetery.

Sunday's service included tributes to Im by active-duty and trainee firefighters, one of whom was his older brother Im Ji-hyeok. Currently training to become a firefighter, Im vowed to make his brother proud.

Governor Oh Young-hun and some 150 Jeju officials attended Sunday's service, during which the Jeju Fire Department presented a portrait of the late Im to his family as a gift.

"Im was a proud firefighter and our colleague who had no hesitation and demonstrated a great sense of responsibility at the site of a disaster. His noble dedication will forever live on in our hearts," Oh said.