President Lee Proposes 'Encouragement Applause' for Firefighter Struggling at the Brink

President Lee Jae-myung proposed "encouragement applause" from attendees of the National Sports Festival opening ceremony, hoping for the recovery of a firefighter who fell into cardiac arrest while fighting a 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 beginning his commemorative address at the opening ceremony of the 107th National Sports Festival held at Jeju World Cup Stadium the previous day.

President Lee said, "Around us, there are people who constantly sacrifice themselves and dedicate their efforts to protect our safety and the peace of our nation," and added, "Thanks to the sacrifice and dedication of soldiers, police, firefighters, and citizens in uniform, we are able to enjoy these happy moments even at this very moment."

He continued, "Unfortunately, at this very moment, there is a firefighter who has fallen into cardiac arrest while fighting a fire and has been admitted to the hospital, and there are also numerous injured firefighters," mentioning firefighters injured in the Bucheon factory fire.

President Lee pointed out, "It is an unfortunate reality that while someone's sacrifice is inevitable for our national community to maintain peace and safety, the treatment and compensation provided to these people is not sufficiently adequate."

He emphasized, "Compared to how they sacrifice their own lives and dedicate themselves for the lives and safety of our citizens, wouldn't giving them all the treasures in the world be worthwhile?"

He then suggested, "I would like to ask everyone present here to join together in a round of encouragement applause wishing for the speedy recovery of the firefighter who is currently struggling at the brink and the injured firefighters, as well as for the soldiers who were injured while protecting our country recently."

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

The firefighter was severely injured while conducting fire suppression operations at the scene of a metal parts painting factory fire in Naedong, Ojeong-gu, Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, in the morning of the 16th.

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

However, he ultimately died on the 17th while receiving treatment.

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