Indonesian sailor who rescued residents at the wildfire site granted special contributor residency status
The government has decided to grant special contributor residency status to a foreign national from Indonesia who helped evacuate residents during the wildfire in Uiseong, North Gyeongsang Province.
On the 6th, Lee Han-gyeong, the head of the Central Disaster Safety Countermeasure Headquarters for wildfire response, announced at a meeting held at the Sejong Government Complex, "We have decided to grant special contributor residency status to three individuals from Indonesia who saved the lives of neighbors without caring for their own safety."
One of the Indonesian sailors whose residency status has been extended, Sugianto (31), on the 25th of last month, ran from house to house to inform residents that a fire had broken out in order to evacuate those who were physically impaired to a safe location first.
He shouted, "Grandma, there’s a fire in the mountain. We need to evacuate quickly," waking up sleeping residents to evacuate them. He showed courageous actions, carrying elderly individuals who had difficulty moving to a breakwater about 300 meters away.
Sugianto, who received special contributor residency status, expressed his gratitude in a phone call with News1, stating, "I am very, very grateful to the Korean government. I am also thankful that the grandmothers are safe, and I will continue to work hard for the village."
He continued, "This morning, I received a call from the Ministry of Justice, and I was told to come to the Ministry on the 16th. I also spoke with my wife back in my hometown. She said it is good news and that she is proud of me," adding, "Above all, I am truly grateful that the grandmothers and village residents have not suffered any loss."
Status of disaster recovery and support for the affected residents
The Korea Forest Service plans to complete emergency assessments of areas at risk of landslides by the 12th and will carry out emergency recovery work, including the installation of tarpaulins, by the end of June.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety will operate a task force (TF) composed of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Korea Forest Service, local governments, and private experts to establish measures to minimize landslide damage.
Currently, a total of 3,193 displaced residents are temporarily evacuated due to the wildfire, with 2,462 of them staying in temporary accommodation facilities.
The government has provided approximately 1 million relief supplies, including emergency relief kits, daily necessities, and food and drinks, to the displaced residents, and psychological support services have also been provided in 8,542 cases.
As of the 4th, the amount of donations collected through disaster relief associations and other means has reached 92.51 billion KRW.
Image source: Sugianto (31), who assisted village residents in evacuation / News1
