2 women firefighters join NFA's international rescue team

Two Korean women, Shin Min-ji and Jang Jae-yeon, have joined the International Rescue Team of the National Fire Agency (NFA).

Experts in various fields required for operations at overseas disaster sites have been selected to form the 137-member rescue team, the NFA said Wednesday.

Shin, who served at the Republic of Army Special Warfare Command, will be dispatched to overseas disaster sites as part of the search team, serving as a rescue dog handler.

She, who was commissioned as a firefighter in 2011, is currently on specialized team dedicated to metropolitan areas such as Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province at the National 119 Rescue Headquarters.

Jang will work as an interpreter and information management agent at overseas disaster sites. She entered the fire service in September 2018 and is currently affiliated with the Chungcheong Fire Academy at the South Chungcheong Fire Department.

The selection process for the team garnered significant attention, with 260 people applying, nearly double the team's size.

The new international rescue team, in addition to Shin and Jang, includes firefighters with experience in construction, video editing, drone operation and military interpretation.

The NFA's international rescue team was previously deployed to the site of a 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Turkey in February and to extinguish wildfires in Canada last August.

The NFA noted the team's ability to respond promptly to disasters worldwide. It also said it is committed to expanding international rescue cooperation in the future, recognizing the significance of international disaster response cooperation.