By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
Some people may question the existence of love in this competitive, rat race called life, but there are still people putting others' lives ahead of their own. The Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs designated four people who died while trying to save other people's lives despite danger as righteous deaths, Thursday.
The late Jeong Cheol-woo was a 25 year-old university student when he visited a resort in the Philippines during his break from English training camp July 20, 2008. He was swimming with fellow students when he heard screams from one of his friends on the verge of drowning. He pushed his friend to the edge of the pool, but exhaustion prevented him from getting out of the water and he died.
The late Cho Cheol-hyeong was having a picnic with his friends July 20, 2008 at Lake Soyang in Gangwon Province. On their way back home, a friend who was driving the car suddenly stopped, got out of the vehicle and threw himself into the lake. Cho dived in to save him but failed. Both died. Cho was 34.
The late Ryu Hyeong-seok visited Wolgwang Reservoir in Gyeonggi Province with his ex-girlfriend. While they were chatting, the girl suddenly jumped into the reservoir saying that the water was frozen. The thin ice broke and she fell into the water. He dived in and saved her but didn't manage to save himself. He was 23.
On Dec. 26, 2008, the late Maeng Bun-seob was returning home from a party when she found her neighbor lying in the street after being hit by a car. She tried to move the person when another car hit them. Both she and her neighbor died from the accident. She was 67.
The ministry will issue certificates and give 190 million won ($ 131,000) to the bereaved families.