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Korea Coast Guard (KCG) announced that Inspector Seo Young-ho at the KCG Donghae Station was awarded the Search and Rescue (SAR) Hero Medal by the Russian Government in recognition of his service to resuce a Russian seafarer. Inspector Seo rushed out to rescue a crew member who reportedly fell into the sea from a cargo ship sailing near the Gangneung Port on February 4 last year. Mr. Seo, who was also fluent in Russian as one of the language specialist KCG officers, helped the rescued sailor to be safely transferred to the hopital. After hearing the news about his resuce efforts via the Russian Embassy in Korea, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations decided to present the Medal to Inspector Seo to acknowledge his contribution to the bilateral cooperation between Korea and Russia. On behalf of the Russian government, Russian Ambassador to South Korea Andrey Kulik invited him to award the Medal.
Moreover, this year marks the 30th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between the two countries. Ambassador Kulik said, "I am very grateful to the KCG for its commitment to rescuing people at sea and hope that the two countries will further develop cooperation based on mutual trust." The medal laureate stated that "As a maritime police officer, it is my duty to rescue people who are in danger at sea, and it is my great honor to be recognized by the Russian government. I will continue to be committed to my duty."
Meanwhile, the SAR Hero Medal is given by the Russian government to those who dedicated thmeselves to rescuing and saving lives. Since 2005, foreign nationals also have been praised under the name of the Ministry of Emergency, and Inspector Seo is the first Korean winner of the Medal.
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