Chinese people express grief over death of Coast Guard officer in rescue of Chinese man | Yonhap News Agency

Chinese people express grief over death of Coast Guard officer in rescue of Chinese man | Yonhap News Agency

SEOUL, Sept. 12 (Yonhap) — The death of a South Korean Coast Guard officer during a rescue operation for a Chinese national this week has drawn widespread attention on Chinese social media, with users writing condolence messages and some hailing him as a hero.

In the early morning hours of Thursday, the officer, named Lee Jae-suk, was dispatched to rescue the 70-something Chinese man during high tide at a mudflat in Incheon, just west of Seoul.

While the man was rescued after Lee gave him his life vest, the 34-year-old was later found dead at sea.

Chinese media outlets, including Haike News, covered the fatal rescue operation, with news of Lee’s death trending at top spots on China’s largest search portal Baidu and social media platform Weibo on Friday.

In its report, Haike News shared video footage of Lee taking off his vest for the Chinese man, which was captured by a drone deployed to the scene.

Comments on social media and news articles expressed condolences, while hailing Lee’s heroic act.

Some of them read, “rest in peace, hero,” “regardless of his nationality, he is a hero,” and “there are many good people in South Korea.”

The Coast Guard has posthumously promoted Lee by one rank to assistant inspector.

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