23 Fallen Firefighters Honored at Fire Memorial Tower Ceremony

South Korea honored 23 firefighters who died in the line of duty with a memorial ceremony at the Fire Memorial Tower in Cheonan on the 71st Memorial Day.

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The Fire Memorial Tower was erected in 2002 to commemorate the souls of fallen firefighters after six firefighters died in the 2001 Hongje-dong arson incident in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul.

The Fire Memorial Tower, recognized as an official memorial facility by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs in 2022, was erected in 2002. It was built following a 2001 arson incident in Seoul that claimed the lives of six firefighters. To date, the tablets of 464 fallen firefighters have been enshrined.

This year, 23 new tablets were added, including that of firefighter Bang Jeong-oh, who died in 1991. He worked as a fire truck driver for over a decade, aspiring to become a full-fledged firefighter, and passed away from cardiac arrest while on duty. His son, Bang Jang-seok, followed in his father's footsteps and became a firefighter in 1993.

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He had been working as a fire truck driver for over 10 years, striving to become a regular firefighter, when he died of cardiac arrest while on duty.

Bang Jang-seok recounted the emotional difficulty of initially working at the Asan Fire Station, where his father died. However, he found encouragement from colleagues, which supported him for over 30 years in his firefighting and rescue career.

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At first, he had a difficult time emotionally, unable to apply to the Asan Fire Station where his father died, and started working at the Cheonan Fire Station.