Honored uniformed heroes willingly sacrifice for citizens’ safety

Chief Warrant Officer Han Deok-soo, a rescue officer of the Navy's Sea Salvage and Rescue Unit (SSU), has served as a veteran deep-sea diver at various maritime disaster sites for thirty years, rescuing numerous lives and recovering bodies. He is also known to have recovered the body of Chief Petty Officer Han Sang-guk, who guarded the wheelhouse of the Chamsuri-357 warship until the last moment during the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong in 2002. Chief Warrant Officer Han is proud of being part of a special unit to save lives with a sense of fulfillment in returning those missing to their families, despite suffering damaged eardrums and permanent tinnitus due to deep-sea diving. In recognition of his dedication and sacrifice, he was awarded the grand prize at the 13th Honorable Uniforms Awards on Thursday.

Founded in 2012 by The Dong-A Ilbo and Channel A to honor the hard work and sacrifice of military forces, policemen, and firefighters safeguarding citizens’ lives and property, the Honorable Uniforms Awards this year went to 12 uniformed public workers, including Chief Warrant Officer Han. Two of the seven Uniforms Award winners, second to the grand prize, contributed to the war against drugs. Senior Inspector Yoo Byeong-ryul at the Osan Police Station apprehended as many as 71 individuals, including the culprit behind smuggling operations at a foreigners-only club. Senior Inspector Kim Sang-beom at the Incheon Maritime Police Station arrested a Canadian sales mastermind who had sneaked into Korea, seizing cocaine equivalent to 1.22 million doses.

The Posthumous Awards went to four fallen heroes who plucked up the courage to risk their lives to protect the safety of citizens. Late Senior Superintendent Kim Woo-tae, who served as the chief of the Mungyeong Police Station in North Gyeongsang Province in 2023, died of overwork at the age of 50 after performing recovery operations for over a month at a flooded site. Late Fire Lieutenant Kim Young-soo was sacrificed in a fire truck rollover accident while responding to a wildfire situation during his time at the Ganseong Fire Station in Gangwon Province at the age of 38. Fire Lieutenant Yoon Young-heum of the Seoul Gwangjin Fire Station had five surgeries after being injured in a collision while loading a collapsed patient into an ambulance. Policeman Kang Dong-jin of Donghae Maritime Police Station's Gangneung Substation sustained a leg injury while rescuing all five crew members from a fishing vessel.

Other award recipients include Major Jeong Da-jeong, the Air Force's first female developmental test pilot who contributed to the development of the KF-21; Inspector Lee Kang-ha of the Seoul Sindaebang Police Substation who rescued a four-year-old child and his mother from a burning multi-unit residence; and Superintendent Kim Hong-yoon of the Donghae Maritime Police Station who saved all eleven crew members of a distressed fishing vessel in fury waves as high as six meters. No matter where all these honorable uniformed heroes serve – in the air, on land, and at sea, they said with a unified voice, “It is a great honor to safeguard citizens even if it means that we have to sacrifice ourselves.” The dedication of these uniformed personnel is deeply appreciated, and eternal rest is wished for the fallen heroes in uniform.