Angry Korean Son “Casually” Kills 6 People After Fight With Mom & Got Away With It

Barabing, baraboom. We are talking about a case that takes. place in Seoul, South Korea. And we're going to start with a man. named Kwon Young-Cheol. He was preparing. to leave for work just like any other. day. It's 9:00 in the morning, but he. doesn't work like your typical 9:00 to. 5:00 job. He's not going to be home. tonight. In fact, it wouldn't be another. like 26 hours till he got home. He. worked 24-hour shifts. So, he's spending. a ton of time with his kid. He has a. 3-year-old kid and a 100-day-year-old.

kid. Um he's just trying to get as much. family time as possible because 24 hours. without them, he's not going to be able. to tuck them into bed. He's not going to. be able to eat dinner with them tonight. And lastly, he looks at his wife and he knows it's. like at the tip of her tongue. She just. wants to say it. She wants to blurt it. out, but she knows she can't. Every. single day that he leaves for work, she. wants to say, "Be careful, honey. Please, be careful. Be safe.". But it's a superstition, much like the. health care workers at hospitals. They.

never say, "Oh, it's a slow night. It's. a calm night." She never says be careful. because it's the assumption that he's in. some danger. So, instead, she kisses him on the cheek. and she prepares for 24 hours of pure. anxiety. Her husband, Kwon, was a firefighter for. Seoul's West Fire Station. And that very. night, six firemen from that exact. station would be found dead. And And it. wasn't just a bad fire. It was an entire.

burning house of secrets. It was like. the house of hell and it took six of. their lives. The firefighters would risk. their lives that night looking for a man. in the fire. that maybe didn't even exist. They were sent into the burning house. wearing rain jackets. And the more that. this hell house burned, the more the. secrets would leak out. And by the end. of it, it basically ripped a nation. apart. So, let's talk about the case.

As always, full show notes are available. at rottenmangopodcast.com. This was. It was a very controversial and very. famous case in South Korea. We had our. lovely Korean researchers help assist in.

gathering of the facts and the stories. But as always, with any foreign cases. where most of the source material is not. in English, let me know if there is. anything at all that wasn't covered or. got lost in translation. And with that being said, oh, by the way, um in celebration of our. wedding month, we are getting married. this year. We have new merch that says. till death do us part. We have different. colors. We have pink. We have white for. the wedding. We have this beautiful. purple, this brown color, and that has. been dropped. So, I'm going to leave it.

linked in the description or you can go. to fandroid.co/stephaniesoo. The case takes place March 3rd, 2001 in. Seoul. And it's very early in the. morning. So, to help you visualize this. a bit better, March 3rd is technically. spring in South Korea, and but really. only by date. The early morning at like. 1:00 to 2:00 a.m., there's snowfall, like pretty heavy snowfall. The city is. asleep, well, most of the city anyway. Most families are tucked away in their. little beds, knocked out. Others are. opting to stay indoors or at home.

because like even if you're a night owl, even if you want to go out and get. drunk, this just was not the weather to. be wandering around outside. The only part of the city that seemed. ready for some action was the local fire. department. Now, there is a lot of. pertinent information that I need to. tell you before we get into this case. just so you can understand truly the. meat of this case. In South Korea, a. firefighter is not just fighting fires. They're not. The fire department is. split up into three categories. So, you. have the fire suppression team. They're. in charge of putting out the fires. Then.

you have the rescue team. They're in. charge of going into burning buildings. and rescuing people. And then lastly, you have the emergency team. They are in. charge of providing first aid and. transporting these fire victims to the. emergency room. Mhm. So, the fire. departments, they not only drive the. fire truck, but the fire ambulance, it's. literally everything. They run the whole. show. And it sounds like three neatly. divided departments and maybe it is now, but back then, basically each. firefighter was just responsible for.

doing all three if they needed to. On top of that, the fire department as a. whole is tasked with random. miscellaneous tasks like fire. inspections of buildings, snow removal, making sure the drinking water supply. isn't tainted. All of this, all these duties, and these. people are risking their lives for the. incredible salary of 2,500 USD a month. Damn. Yeah, that's the average wage. Risking their life. Yeah. of a South Korean firefighter. To put it. into perspective, the average wage of an.

American firefighter is around $4,500 a. month. And in bigger cities like. still not a lot. Still not. Like they're probably. constantly Yeah. It's kind of shocking. And Well, in bigger cities like New York. City, like the NYFD, they give. firefighters the opportunity to make. upwards of 100K if they've been there. for 5 years. But not only that, okay? So, most American firefighters, I will. say they at least have some benefits. I'm not saying that they have great.

compensation. I think it could be a lot. better. But a lot of fire departments. provide health care for the firefighter. and their nuclear family for the rest of. their lives. They provide a 401K and a. generous pension in case something were. to happen. So, they try to make it as. appealing of a job as possible because. you know, well, these are people risking. their lives and literally walking into. hell, walking into fires to save people. It's like against human nature to see a. raging fire and be like, "Let's walk. straight into that to see if I can save. someone else." And in 2001, when this.

case takes place, because of how abysmal. the working conditions and pay were for. firefighters in Korea, they were. underfunded and they were understaffed. Firefighters at this point in time were. working 24-hour shifts, 9:00 a.m. to. 9:00 a.m. the next morning, and they. would do this 84 hours a week. They would have a 24-hour shift. Uh-huh. They would rest. And then the. next day, 9:00 a.m., they would have a. 24-hour shift. Every other day was a. 24-hour shift. And during the 24 hours, they're usually not just sitting around.

at the fire station getting some sleep. in. Because of how understaffed the fire. department is, most firefighters are. responding to about seven calls each. shift. Each fire and rescue call. typically lasts about 3 hours. That's. like 21 hours of active duty out of the. 24-hour shift. Now, back to the day in. question. The firefighters receive a. call at around 3:00 a.m. The caller. claims that they saw smoke rising from a. building nearby and it was urgent and. the fire firefighters need to arrive.

quickly before it gets worse. So, they're rushing. They get in their. fire trucks. They get the ambulances. They get the rescue vehicles. Yeah, they're literally in charge of all of. that. They turn on their sirens and they. start rushing to the scene of the fire. They've got the adrenaline pumping in. their veins. So, early mornings are the. hardest times for firefighters. Not just. due to the lack of sleep and rest, but. the fact that fires around 3:00 a.m. are. usually called once they've already been. too big. Like once they're already at. the point of being uncontrollable. Most.

people are sleeping at this time. When. the When the fire starts, when it's. small, no one really recognizes it. The. fire has to be big enough where someone. wakes up or someone sees it in the dark. In comparison, fires that happen during. the day, there's almost always people. nearby to spot it early on. So, they're all on edge. They're rushing. as fast as humanly possible to the. scene. And when they get there, they're. standing in front of the building with. sweat dripping down their forehead, anxiety pulsing through them, and.

nothing. There's no fire. Mhm. It's a false alarm. There was no. fire. But just to be sure, they did a. double-check around the block. They. checked all the surrounding buildings. They checked the air just in case maybe. there's like a leak of some sort, a gas. leak. And they decided, "Nope, this is. positively a false alarm." Now, none of. them were upset about the false alarm. It happens. It doesn't happen too often, but it does happen. It's never a prank. call or anything like that. It's. typically a civilian being.

hypervigilant, and the firefighters. would rather hypervigilant civilians. looking for things rather than a bunch. of people that don't look out for each. other. So, they pack up their truck. They start. driving back to the station. And at 3:47. a.m., they're about 2 minutes away from. their station. They hadn't made it back. yet, okay? Another incoming call. The caller states, "Hurry, you have to. come quick. There's a two-story house. that's engulfed in flames.". Is it the same address? No. So, they U-turn. Turn on their sirens.

and start rushing to the new call as. fast as possible. Now, a lot of the. firefighters in the truck remember this. feeling of not relief, but thankfulness. Like a Like a feeling of gratitude. They almost thought, "Thank God we. didn't make it back to the station and. gotten out of our trucks." I mean, yeah, we're trained to get into the trucks as. fast as possible, but still, that's like. still a minute to assemble everyone, get. back into the truck, to pull out of the. fire station. I mean, at least this way. we're still on the road. We still have. all of our gear. We could save a few. minutes. And a few minutes when it comes.

to fires, you could save a few lives. So, for us regular people, 2 minutes. feels like nothing. To firefighters, it. can mean saving a life or it can mean. death. I think even with this information of. how these firefighters felt about this. call, you can see where their hearts are. at. So, side note, they would head straight. to the side of the fire, but another. fire team was also dispatched from a. different station. So, they're all. driving as fast as they can, gearing up. for this. So, there's two separate.

trucks going there. And I think the feeling, at least for. the main truck that we're following, is, you know, what are the odds that it's. two false alarms? This one's probably real. So, let's get. ready. The first one was a false alarm, what are the odds? This one feels even. more real. They're racing, their. adrenaline is pumping, and all of a. sudden the fire truck screeches to a. stop. The driver slams on the fire. truck's brakes, and everyone is looking. up confused like, are we here? I don't. see a fire. And for a split second, they. just soak in, what the hell is going on?

And it's freaking bad. This is the only entrance. to the residential road to get to the. two-story house that's allegedly. engulfed in flames. All of the roads are made so fire trucks. can safely pass. There are no parking signs all over this. residential road, yet. both sides of the street are lined with. illegally parked civilian cars. To be. even more specific, the residential road.

was said to have been about 20 ft in. width, which is why you're not allowed. to park on either side of the road, but. there were cars parked on both sides, parallel parked, on both sides of this. residential street. So, both sides are not allowed parking, and there's cars on both sides. Lined. up. Lined up. gosh. So, I'm I'm just going to give you some. mathematical perspective cuz I think it. helps visualize. The street itself is. about 20 ft wide. The average. non-commercial vehicle is about 6 and. 1/2 ft wide, and with both sides of the.

road filled with these parked cars, that. means there's about 13 ft of road taken. up, and that's that's if if the civilian. cars are parked literally right on the. street curb on both sides, which I. highly doubt. Uh-huh. Now, you only have. 7 ft of space in the middle of the road. left. A fire truck, on average, is 10 ft. wide. Wow. The fire truck is not getting. through. In fact, I I would imagine that a. regular sedan would not make it through.

And this is completely immature and a. very naive part of me while I was. researching, and I was so frustrated. I'm like, why can't the government just. back them up and they just ram through. the cars? But, I'm an idiot, that would. probably be, in and of itself, a fire. hazard and lawsuit galore, but it's just. that feeling of like, okay, come on now, are you serious? Like, there is an. emergency, they should be able to do. something about it. And if you're like, well, don't be. obnoxious, Stephanie, you don't have to. ram through them, just push them out the. way. I think if it had just been one.

illegally parked car, or two, the. firefighters could have gotten out and. pushed the car out of the way. But, with. that many cars, I'm talking it was. back-to-back cars parallel parked. What? Just there was nowhere to even push them. to. They would waste so much valuable. time moving these cars. To try and find. the owners of these cars, they don't. know which apartment building they. belong to, they don't know how to wake. all these people up, do they go. door-to-door? I mean, it's crazy. That. would waste valuable time.

So, I digress. The fire truck was unable. to make it through the only road to the. house that was on fire, and they're. still at least like 500 ft away. Without. their fire truck, the fire is going to. be even more difficult to extinguish. There's no other entrance? No. So, what. do they do? The firefighters do not waste any time. They take half a second to register. what's going on, and then it's all hands. on deck. They open the doors, they grab their. gear, about 35 lbs of gear per person,

and they start booking it. They start running. They needed to bring with them their. massive oxygen tanks, their masks, cutting tools like pipe cutters, ropes, fire hoses, sledgehammers. They start. organizing and barking orders. Uh a few. were tasked with finding the local fire. hydrants on the street. Avoid curved. alleyways because that's that messes. with the water pressure, and start. connecting the long, impossibly heavy. hoses to them and run them to this. two-story house. Start running with.

these massive hoses. Which, side note, the house on fire was so bad that they. could see it from a distance, so they. knew it wasn't a false alarm. That house. is on fire. They would need all the help that they. could get, but they couldn't even bring. their trucks up to the house. I don't know how, but very quickly. they're able to attach 12 fire hoses. to the fire hydrants, bring it to the. house, and the fire was as bad as it. gets. It was a 30-year-old house, two.

floors, and the flames coming out of. this house were angry, bright red flames. jumping out of the windows already. The house looked like it was the sun. The whole city was dark and asleep, and. this house was burning bright. Which, firefighters actually consider. this stage as the peak danger level of a. fire. If you arrive at a house and you see. that the blaze is already coming out of. the windows, it typically means. everything inside has already been burnt. to a crisp, and the fire is just like.

hungry for more things to consume and to. eat. I mean, if it's like one window, it's different, but I'm talking like. every window, there's just flames coming. out. It's completely scorched the. inside, and it's just trying to get. something new. The toxic fumes in the air inside the. house would probably be at its max. It. would be nearly impossible to breathe. inside of there, much less withstand the. heat and the fire, and the chance of. rescue and survival in these conditions. would be so incredibly low, so.

incredibly dangerous. And this. this is where everything starts going. wrong. A group of civilians had already. gathered outside. This two-story home. was basically a converted duplex. So, the landlady, she is a 66-year-old. ajumma who lives on the first floor with. her 32-year-old son. On the second. floor, she rented out to a family of. tenants. Now, they made it out safely. Neighbors had also come out to see what. was going on, and a woman pushes through.

the crowd. She's the 66-year-old homeowner, and she. looks like she's about to have a. complete and utter mental breakdown. She's latching onto the firefighters, grabbing onto them, screaming, crying at. them, pleading with them. She's. screaming, "My son! My son is still in. the house! Please, you have to go save. him! My son is in there!". The firefighters look at each other. It wasn't even a question. They were going in. So, they turn, they face the house on. fire, and they run into it without a.

second thought. They knew the rate of survival inside. that house. I mean, her son was probably dead. It's like slim to none. But, they had to try, right? I mean, what's crazy to me is that. firefighters will say, these specific. firefighters, when they're interviewed, they'll say things like, well, it's my. job. I think it's just who they are, because I feel like I would not be able. to do that even if it's my job. These firefighters choose to walk into a. burning house to save someone they never.

even met, they didn't even know, they. didn't even love. And how do you even. describe a person like that? So, once the firefighters are inside the. house, they can't see anything. Everything was like a thick cloud of ash. and smoke, and they have a fire. suppression team with them, they have. the fire rescue team with them. So, they're basically moving as a unit. They. would have a couple of the firemen. hosing down so that none of them are. getting burned, and then they would go. and look for all the for the son, for. look for any signs of life. Everything.

was like a thick cloud of ash and smoke, and they had these headlamps, but it did. nothing. It wasn't just dark, there was. like a literal cloud of toxic fumes that. had taken over the entirety of the. house. The visibility was said to be. about 2 ft away from their face. All they could do was try. They're trying to calm down the flames. while they're rushing through the house. looking for any signs of life, or just. another person, and they search as best. as they can, and they find nothing. I think that they would have honestly.

kept trying to look, but they knew what. was going on. They looked around them, they saw the condition of the house. This house was going to collapse. So, you're like, wait, what? This is a fire, why is the house collapsing as if it's. an earthquake? This is a 30-year-old. house, and the way that it was. structured, it was there was fire. everywhere. They had to put water into. the house to take down the fire, right? Water is heavy. Most houses cannot. withstand absorbing that much water, especially a house that's 30 years old.

So, they said the house is due to. collapse. So, they reluctantly leave, and they walk out, and they're like, okay, maybe the son is somewhere else, because even though we didn't have all. the time in the world, we diligently. checked every single room, and we didn't. see any signs of life. So, they walk out, and the mom is. screaming at them, "Why are you coming. out alone? You're supposed to be in. there getting my son! My son is in. there! I'm telling you that my son is in. that house! How can you not save him? How can you leave him to burn?". And these firemen, they're looking at.

each other like, this house is about to go down. They're trying to explain to her, "Your. house right there, it's going to fall. any second now." And she's like, "I. don't care! My son is in there! My son! My son!" She's like begging them, holding onto them, latching onto them. One of the firefighters later stated, "Yeah, it's difficult work. We had undeniable information, information that a family member is. telling me with 100% certainty that.

another person is inside of there, I have to search two, three, four more. times until I find that person.". So, they go back in. They search even more thoroughly this. time. They comb through every single. room, every single bathroom, checking. the floors, the corners. Maybe the son. was hiding to protect himself from the. smoke and the flames. One of the firefighters, the one from. the beginning of the story, Quan, he said that he was going to go outside. and check if the building had an.

underground boiler room. This would help maybe control the fire, but also maybe the son had managed to. get there from inside the house. So, he. went out of the house and steps down. into kind of like this underground. basement step. And at 4:11 a.m., just moments after he. stepped down, there was a. boom. followed by a series of gut-wrenching. noises. Firefighter Quan was knocked out very. briefly, unconscious. He wakes up, he's.

dazed, and he he gets up from like that. two basement step. He saw the sky. He saw the houses. nearby. He saw everything. The two-story house that had been the. center of the whole neighborhood on fire. was now at the height of his hip. It had been completely flattened. It had. collapsed on itself. Just fell. He's. outside. Yeah. It was basically pancaked. And.

everything and everyone. going on, though? So, most of the fire. had been extinguished, but the problem. is the toxic fumes are still in there. Uh-huh. And everything and everyone. inside were now trapped in a rubble, like just a giant pile of concrete. Who's in there? 10 firefighters, the. son. So, like 11 people. The saddest part of all of this is that. the firefighters, again, knew that this. house was probably going to collapse, but they still had to search for the. son. They knew that this was an older.

building. It most likely would never. withstand all the water that it was. absorbing, but still, firefighter Quan. said that he cannot explain the utter. horror that he felt when he saw that. building at his hip height, hip level. And all of his fellow firefighters, his. friends, they were under there. He suffered a massive injury to his. shoulder because he was very he was like. next to the house when it pancaked. So, of course there's going to be debris, there's going to be things that hit him. He was knocked unconscious briefly, but. he goes straight to work. He tears the.

injury in his shoulder even more, but he. doesn't care. He screams out into the. middle of the night, "Where are you? Are. you in there? Where are you?". The remaining firefighters that had not. gone inside the house, they immediately. called for backup to the local fire. stations. It was 4:11 a.m. and soon 250. firefighters from all over the country, from at least 11 different fire. stations,

would leave their hoses, they would. leave their. fire gear on the side. They would grab their shovels and. hammers, and they would use their bare hands, breaking off almost all their. fingernails, cutting up their palms, using any and all brute strength they. had left after a 20-hour shift. to try and save their fellow. firefighters. Any machinery to dig into concrete was.

too big to get past the illegally parked. cars. None of the fire trucks made it past. I think they were able to get one. smaller work truck past, but it was just. not effective in. the situation they were facing. Most of the firefighters didn't directly. know the firefighters trapped inside, at. least not personally, but they knew what. they had all sacrificed for this job. They knew what their families had. endured, all the countless sleepless.

nights worrying about these firemen. They knew the struggles that they had. been through, and just that will to make. it out alive, not even for yourself, but. for the sake of your loved ones. And in the pitch-black night with the. snow falling on them, they dug and they. dug and they dug. And just to emphasize. the state of disaster right now, this. building, it is a 30-year-old house, and there is. a lot of wood involved, but it's not. some shack or wooden cabin that kind of. folded in on itself. The building is.

filled with concrete, metal, other heavy. materials. It was two stories tall. Even just the weight of furniture alone. would have been something that's that. could be fatal. And that's not. considering the actual composition of. the house. Even just the chances of. having a metal pole, pipe, or anything. sharp impale you, or the chance that. you're crushed by the sheer weight of. something. I mean, there's also electrical wires that are. probably exposed now and running water. Nothing is off the table of what's going. on to those that are trapped underneath. this house. Not to mention, this is.

right after a fire that was at its peak. Whatever small pockets of air that are. under the rubble is beyond toxic. The firefighters did have their oxygen. tanks, but they run out after 25. minutes. Here is the bigger problem. They run out after 25 minutes, but if a. firefighter had been knocked unconscious. by the collapse, which is highly likely, then the mask could actually become a. weapon of death after 25 minutes. If they still have it on,

it will become equally toxic and. dangerous since you will be be breathing. in your own carbon dioxide. Oh my god. 250 firefighters from all over the area. were gathering to help with the rescue. And at 4:30, they're able to get a. single truck in through the roads, but. the firefighters don't care. They keep. digging. There were 10 firefighters trapped in. the rubble along with the homeowner's. son. And they all had the same thought.

I have to get my colleagues out, even if. I do it with my bare hands. Like I said, there were machines that. existed that could get the firefighters. probably out quicker, that could help. move the rubble faster, that could help. break the concrete, but these machines. would be too big to make it down the. road cuz again, the illegally parked. cars. And every second counted. So, they just. kept going. I can't even imagine the. trauma for the firefighters, both under. the rubble, but also on top trying so. desperately to save the others. I mean, I think the feeling is. you want to rescue those who have given.

their lives into rescuing others. So, for 50 minutes, the firefighters dig. and dig and dig, and suddenly a. firefighter starts screaming, and they. could see through the crack Kim. Chul-hong's face. A fireman. He didn't appear conscious, and so they start frantically moving as. much as the rubble as possible, and they. finally pull him out. They slip off his. mask, and it feels like eternity. And they're waiting in silence, and in. that cold air, they see a little bit.

of that like, you know, when it's cold. and you're breathing, you can see. Yes. a little bit. A little bit. He's. breathing a little bit. So, they rush him to the hospital, and. this gives the firefighters the strength. they need to continue. They had no idea if he was going to wake. up in the hospital, but he was. breathing, even a little bit. Out of the 10, there were a few. firefighters that made it out earlier. because they were near the edges of the. house when it collapsed. So, they were. not really buried fully under the house. Um if they were, they were like half.

buried, or maybe only half their bodies. were buried, if that makes sense. But. there were six more firefighters. Nobody. knew where in the house they were when. the house collapsed. So, Quan, the firefighter from the. boiler room, he feels this renewed sense. of hope, and he just starts breaking. more concrete with his sledgehammer. They dug in locations that would yield. the highest chance of survival, so near. the basement. The plan was to drill down. a giant hole by hand. They were just going at it in the. concrete in a circle, trying to drill a.

hole into the concrete so that was just. big enough for one person without their. oxygen tank. One person would go down. and try and find the others. At around 5:47 a.m., Lee Seong-cheon, uh we'll call him Lee, he arrived at the scene. He was in. charge of the rescue team. He said it was heartbreaking. He said they went in there and everyone. was silently working cuz nobody was. speaking unless it was to periodically. call out to ask if their friends or.

colleagues were there. "Can you hear me? Are you there? We're coming to get you. Don't worry.". Nobody wanted to waste a single second. on anything that was not removing the. rubble. Every single second that passed was a. second that their colleagues were closer. to death. And he said he looked around once, and. he just saw the snow falling so heavily, but nobody even registered it. They were all drenched in sweat. They all had like hot tears rolling down.

their faces. And all he could think constantly as. he's digging was, "I wish I had. something faster. This needs to be faster.". After 2 hours since the collapse, the. hole had been made. A small hole to the. basement had been dug. They pushed down. some oxygen tanks that were open to try. and push the toxic air out of the tight. spaces, right? And pump in fresh oxygen. to the buried firefighters, who they. they're praying to the gods that they. were still breathing, were still alive, because 2 hours, like 3 hours had.

passed, really. Firefighter Quan, the one who injured. his shoulder during the initial. collapse, these were the people on his. fire truck. These were his teammates. He. went down the hole. No. Without his. oxygen tank. He was risking his own life once again. to save his colleagues. He didn't even. think twice. It had been hours, but they had hope. because these are their firemen, you. know? He goes down, and he starts looking for. his friends. The toxic air made it so.

hard for him to breathe, and the. inability to breathe made his heart pump. even more, you know, on top of the. adrenaline. And he he just felt this. dying sense of urgency. The hole was so small, he was crawling. around on his stomach, just reaching. around with his hands because he. couldn't see much. And he just remembered thinking, "Please, anyone, someone, please.". And he kept sweeping his hand until. he felt something. At 7:34 a.m., he touches the arm of. firefighter E Sung-gyu.

He would be the second firefighter. saved. Wait, there's still a more in there? Yeah. When they pulled him up, they realized. that he had taken off his own mask, meaning he must not have been. unconscious for that long. This gave everyone hope, and like I. said, they were moving as a unit when. they were going through the house, right? So, they rush him up, rush him to. the hospital. Firefighter Kwon stays. under looking for the rest of his. colleagues, and from there, one by one, the firefighters found their friends.

They were all unconscious. This was right before 8:00 a.m. So, after 3 hours and 46 minutes since. the building's collapse. All the firefighters were found. and rushed to the hospital. Firefighter Kwon, like I said, these are. his direct colleagues, the ones that he. sees every day, the ones that he trusts. to have his back. Like, these are his. partners in this very scary business, and he said that he just wanted to run. He wanted to run to meet the ambulances.

at the hospital just to make sure they. were okay. But, he couldn't. Because their work was not done. The firefighters had pulled out their. colleagues, but there was still someone missing. The missing son. He was still in there. And with just as much passion and just. as much urgency, they dug and dug for. the homeowner's son. And the reason that. they had gone into that house in the. first place was for this son.

So, they continued to dig and dig, and. their radios would go off, and news. would be shared. Their sledgehammers would slam against. the concrete. An alert would come in. Firefighter Park Chi-nu, 32 years old. He had been a fireman for 8 years. It. wasn't really in his life plan. He. actually wanted to go to college and. pursue a different career, but his. parents' business failed, and he just. needed to make money. So, he sacrificed everything to become a. fireman, make money, and he'd be.

starting his own family next week. He. actually had a wedding planned next. week. And he was going to marry the love of. his life. And the last note he ever left for his. soon-to-be wife was, "I will always take. care of you.". Firefighter Park Chi-nu was pronounced. dead at the hospital. The firemen cried, and tears dropped into the rubble, but they kept going. They had to find the son. Their sledgehammers would slam against.

the concrete, and an alert would come in. Firefighter Kim Cheol-hong, 38 years. old. He personally volunteered to go from a. desk job in the fire department to. working in the field to fighting fires. His mom had suffered a stroke recently, and they had just all these piling. medical bills. So, he put his life on. the line, literally in the line of fire, and he would bring in $300 more a month. And they really needed that money.

Firefighter Kim Cheol-hong was. pronounced dead at the hospital. Tears dropped into the rubble, but the firefighters kept going. Their sledgehammers would slam against. the concrete, and an alert would come in. Firefighter Oh Jeong-seok, 36 years. 36 years old. He was known for being very goofy. Like, he was always very smiley and. goofy, and he was the father of two.

children. He was one of the most selfless people. on the team, they said. He had been. involved in over 4,500 rescues. He was a former special forces officer. He was a veteran. I mean, his whole life. he basically served the country, and his. wife would constantly scold him every. day before work. She would say, "Honey, can you please not be the first one to. help all the time? Just stay back a. little. You're getting older.". And he would always smile a goofy little. grin because.

he hated lying to his wife. And they both knew when the time came, he'd be the first one to run in. Firefighter Oh Jeong-seok was pronounced. dead at the hospital. And tears would drop into the rubble, but the firefighters kept going. Their sledgehammers would slam against. the concrete, and an alert would come in. Fire sergeant Park Dong-gyu, 46 years old, father of two.

He was He's been doing this for 18. years, and he was so good at his job. He. actually even inspired his little. brother to get into fighting and. he just had this way of motivating. people around him. And to him, it just wasn't a job. It was. he was making an impact in the world. Fire sergeant Park Dong-gyu was. pronounced dead at the hospital. Tears would drop into the rubble, but the firefighters kept going.

They had one more person to find. Their sledgehammers would slam against. the concrete, and an alert would come. in. Firefighter Park Sang-ok, 34 years old, father of a three-year-old daughter. He. was a really big family guy. He was so. excited. He was telling everyone at the. fire station how he finally saved up. enough money to move his entire family. into a bigger house that spring. He was. excited to give his elderly parents a. bit more space so they could feel more. rested and feel more settled.

And his colleagues always poked fun at. him because no matter how busy he got, no matter how tired he was, he always. called his wife two to three times a. day. And everyone teased him for being so. obsessed with his wife, but they all. secretly respected him. They all know what it's like to have a. loved one that's nervously waiting at. home. Firefighter Park Sang-ok. was pronounced dead at the hospital. And tears would fall into the rubble, but the firefighters kept going. Their.

sledgehammers would slam against the. concrete, and an alert would come in. Firefighter Kim Ki-seok, 44 years old, father of two. His love for fighting was out of this. world. He was a former marine before. this, and. when he wasn't working or spending time. with family, he was so poetic. He. literally He wrote poetry. He just. earned his master's degree, and if. anyone had any questions about life or. the purpose of life or the purpose of.

their jobs, they wanted to talk to him. Just a month before this incident, he. actually wrote an email to a junior. colleague to help him understand why he. was so passionate about fighting. And he wrote, "While the role of a doctor definitely. saves lives, it is not one where it. requires that they must throw their own. bodies in someone's place to save them. I'm very pleased with this job because. it allows me to sacrifice my life in. order to save someone else's.

I think to throw my own life willingly. away for someone, I consider that a very. sacred thing. I've been buried under a collapsed. building before. I have stood upon the. tongue of an angry, angry fire. I know only heaven knows the meaning of. all of this. If I give my very best at. this task, I live my life. to the best I can every single day,

maybe I enter the afterlife with a good. destiny in a good body.". Firefighter Kim Ki-seok was pronounced. dead at the hospital. And tears would drop into the rubble, but the firefighters had to keep going. Their sledgehammers would slam against. the concrete. Six of their own. were gone. Maybe the only thing on their mind, the. only thing that could keep them from. breaking apart, some of them said, was the firefighters'. prayer.

Have you heard of it? No. It goes like. this. When I'm called to duty, God, wherever flames may rage, give me. strength to save a life, whatever be its. age. Help me to embrace a little child before. it's too late, or save an older person. from the horror of that fate. Enable me to be alert to hear the. weakest shout, and quickly and. efficiently to put the fire out. I want. to fill my calling and to give the best. in me, to guard my neighbor and protect. his property. And if according to your.

will, I have to lose my life, bless with. your protecting hand my loving family. from strife. But, what if it was all for. nothing? There is a very famous Korean proverb. that goes, 무심코 던진 돌에 개구리는 죽는다. And it translates roughly into a a rock. thrown carelessly by one person can. bring death to an innocent frog. It sounds a bit interesting in English,

and it doesn't really have the same. impact in Korean, but it's most often. used by Koreans to teach children or to. teach each other as a lesson of how, you know, your very careless or not so. well-thought-out words or actions, they. can kill someone. You may not necessarily think twice of. it, but the impact would could be great. A lot of people compare that to these. civilians who illegally parked their. cars thinking, "It's night time. No. one's going to drive through these. roads, and I'm going to move it early in the.

morning when I go to work.". This case is a direct representation of. that in the worst way possible, and it's. not just with the illegally parked cars. At 9:28 a.m., while the firemen. continued to dig and dig a. like amidst all of this heartache, the. fire investigative team arrived at the. scene. So, these are the teams that are. in charge of investigating the source of. the fires to make sure that buildings. are up to code. Make sure that no one. was at fault for this. They arrive and they start asking the. homeowner about possible ways that the.

fire may have started. And they also. comfort her and they try to tell her, you know, the emergency crew, okay, the. firefighters, they're doing the best and they're going. to keep searching for your son in the. rubble. Now, at this point, the 66-year-old. mother was joined by a few other. relatives that came out as like a show. of support. And one of them, in just one of the the most casual, nonchalant, unserious voice states,

"Oh, they said he's at his uncle's. house.". You're kidding me. He's been there since 6:00 a.m. One of the investigative team members. fell to the ground. sobbing. All those firefighters. had gone in to find this one person. They sacrificed everything to save him. and he wasn't even there. The firefighters who were still digging,

sobbing, digging, wiping their eyes from. the stinging sweat and tears, they were digging for the owner's son. and they were told to stop. They said, "We can't. There's still. someone in there.". They were told, "The son. is not in there. We can stop digging. Family just gave confirmation. All. residents had been evacuated. We can stop digging.". They said it was like the whole world.

stopped. Every single firefighter was silent. and they could not even comprehend what. they had just heard. No one could. process what this meant. Everyone just. stared with glazed over looks in their. eyes, unable to even process the true. depth of what. any of this meant. Firefighter Kwan, the one with the. injured shoulder, he said in that moment,

sta. Koreans have this way of It's almost. like a like a laugh, a smile because. it's the utter and total lack of. reasoning. It's just utter and total. disbelief. You almost can't believe that. someone like this exists or a situation. like this can actually happen. If nobody was in that house, nobody. would have gone in. They would have put. out the fire from the outside. Nobody. would have had a building collapse in on.

them. Six people died Six firefighters. died looking for someone that wasn't. even there. They died trying to save someone that. wasn't even in danger. They ran head-on. into a burning fire for someone that. wasn't even there. Not only that, they would soon find out the person they. sacrificed their lives for was the one. who started the fire. Choi is the 32-year-old son of the. homeowner. He lived on the first floor with his mom. and Choi was known to struggle with.

mental illness. Neighbors reported constantly hearing. the mom and son fight. Um the mom did. her best to get him help, but he just he. hated her for it. He hated that she sent. him to a psychiatric ward for years of. his life. He constantly screamed at her. that she was treating him like he was. some sort of crazy person. He refused to control his anger. Frequently, he would go out, get drunk, come home, yell and beat his own mother.

66-year-old mother. And the night of the fire was no. different. They get into this explosive. fight and he beat his mom. She was so. terrified of her own son that she ran up. to the second floor and she asked her. tenants, "Can I stay with you while he. cools down downstairs? He's like way too. heated.". Everyone in the neighborhood knew that. they had a strained relationship. That's. how bad it was. Everyone could hear. their fights. So, while the mom was. upstairs, Choi, he's pissed off. So, what does he do? He lights a blanket on. fire and throws it onto the bed. He will.

later claim that he wanted to start a. small fire and he believed it would. just, end of quote, "fizzle out by. itself." Let's be real. Many of us are. struggling with mental health issues. I. don't know his exact mental state or his. diagnosis, but still, a 32-year-old man. that is perfectly capable of living on. his own and is able-bodied, there are no. indications that he has any intellectual. disabilities, how can you truly even say. with your full chest that lighting a. blanket on fire and throwing it onto a. bed filled with more fabric and a.

mattress made with foam and flammable. materials that you thought the small. fire would fizzle out? You only do that when you want to burn a. big chunk of the house down. You want a big fire. And to add to my refusal to believe that. statement, he goes on to say, "And then. the fire got so big, so I ran out. because I was scared.". He made no attempts to put it out. ran away? Yeah. When he saw the fire was big? Yeah. He made no attempts to put it out. call the mom? Nobody? Not even the No.

No tenants. He made no attempts to put it out. He. made no attempts to alert anyone inside. the residence. He made no He made no. attempts to alert any sort of fire. department. Yeah, he could He literally just killed. everyone in the building. I mean, a lot. of people think that was his intention. Yeah. He set a fire believing it would fizzle. out and when it got big, he got scared. and ran away and never said anything. To. me, that sounds like he genuinely wanted. to take people's lives. But not himself.

Of course not. He needed to save. himself. It's fair to say that the mom most. likely did not know that her son wasn't. at home. She most likely didn't know. that he was the one that's at the fire. And I imagine if she is a normal person. with morals, she will carry the guilt of. yelling at the firemen to go back into. the house for the rest of her life. And if it sounds like I'm being harsh on. her, just remember, her relatives came. to join her after they were alerted that. her house had burned down and you're. telling me some random relative knew.

that her son was at the uncle's house. and never told her? That they just didn't talk about it? She just found out when they the fire. investigators asked? Mhm. Wouldn't the mom be frantic? Wouldn't. she be pacing the room? Oh my god, they. still haven't found my son. Oh my god, they still haven't found my son. I'm so. stressed. My son is trapped under there. And the relative would tell her, "What. are you talking about? Your son is at. the uncle's house." You're telling me. these conversations never took place? That's insane. I just think the odds of. that are insane. I think that maybe she.

believed that they would figure out how. to deal with the situation later because. it had become so big, it was there was. no going back, maybe in her head. Maybe she thought she could get away. with hiding her son and just go on the. run, have him go on the run, go into. hiding at another relative's house? I just think the odds that she had no. idea that this son was at the uncle's. house, that's not even normal human. behavior to me. I mean, this is the mom that was so. concerned that she yelled and begged the. firemen to go back in, but as they're.

looking for him, her relatives come to. comfort her and no one mentions her son? It's hard to believe that she didn't. know at some point before the fire. investigators asked, she did not know. that her son was alive and well. I. believe she knew, I just don't know. when. But I think it's just really heartless. Like these firemen, they were still. digging. I mean, the weight of the world was on. their shoulders, the weight of the. trauma of losing six of their own. Not. only that, but these men were injured.

They were heavily injured and they were. injuring themselves further in the. process by digging frantically. Every. second could have made a difference to. say something. And she didn't. Regardless, 32-year-old Choi is a. full-grown adult. He is a 32-year-old. man. His fire did not only damage his. home and property, but it took lives. March 5th, 2001, a joint funeral was held for all six. firefighters. Fire station staff, city staff,

citizens, over 30,000 civilians paid. their respects at the firefighters. memorial. And do you remember firefighter Park. Dong-gyu? He inspired his little brother. to be a firefighter. Mhm. And at the. funeral, his brother said a few words for him and. he said, "Young, don't be a firefighter in heaven. Pick a different job so you can get some. rest.".

Their bodies were laid to rest at the. Daejeon National Cemetery. It is a. cemetery reserved for those who have. given the ultimate sacrifice for others. and for the nation. The same day, Choi was arrested for. arson and causing bodily harm and. building damage, but not for the loss of. lives, not for murder. He was arrested, but.

he was given an anger-inducing sentence. The court stated that since he had been. hospitalized three times in the past for. mental illness, he would get a reduced sentence of just. 5 years in prison. He would have been released in 2006. We don't have any updates cuz Korea has. some pretty strict privacy laws. We. don't have any much updates of his. current situation or status and we have. no idea what he's doing out there. Out of all the firefighters that were. pulled from that collapsed building, um.

that were like fully in the building, not the ones that were half buried, not. saying that their trauma was not. comparable, but. only one survived, E Sung-gyu. He. sustained brain damage in addition to. lower body paralysis. He was left bedridden for a very long. time and he has no memory of that day. He said he lost that memory. He said he met with the families of his. lost colleagues and he just feels. so much burden and guilt. He feels like he's responsible. His His.

survivor guilt is really bad. And he said that if he were ever lucky. enough to go to heaven. and to see his former colleagues, he. would ask them, "Taejin-ah, you've been well?". And he said he just lives for the moment. to see them again. And when he was asked, "Well, well, what. would he do if the same situation were. to arise?" And he said, "Well, I have to go in.".

"Why? You knew the building was going to. collapse.". "Yep, because I'm a firefighter.". Firefighters are already risking their. own lives to save people that they don't. even know, and we as a whole do not. value their lives. And if you're like, "Don't lump me into it." I'm I'm right. there with everyone else. Like, we. should value their lives. What the heck? Okay, maybe civilians do, but does the. government?

So, this case exposed a lot of things. that were wrong. First, the illegally. parked cars. Why were police not these. parking laws? There is a reason that. these laws exist and what is the point. of the law if you don't enforce it? Then. it's just a nice request. Not only did. this cause more time for the. firefighters to get to the fire. Had. they gotten there sooner, maybe they. could have been out by the time the. building collapsed. Or, when the. firefighters were trapped under the. rubble, they were unable to get. machinery to help dig them out. That. could have saved firefighter lives, but. because of illegally parked cars,

neither of those things were able to. come true. Instead, firefighters spent hours. digging their colleagues out with their. own bare hands. But that's not even the end. I wish it. was the end. I wish the problem was Troy. and some illegally parked cars, but the. problem is so deep. Netizens started. looking into fire departments in South. Korea after this incident and they just. wanted to know, first of all, how much. are these people getting paid to do the. jobs that nobody wants to do? And they. were getting paid next to nothing. On. top of that, fire departments in Korea.

were so severely underfunded. Police. departments, emergency departments, these are like the counterparts of fire. departments. They were receiving much. more funding than the fire department. Police departments also received. adequate medical care. They had paid. time off. They had recovery time off. They had therapy, physically and mental. therapy. They were always fully equipped. with gear on the job. They also were not severely. understaffed. Firefighters, on the other hand, they. had no medical benefits.

They had no therapy, no physical. treatment, no medical benefits. In. Korea, there are hospitals that are. dedicated for police officers, for. soldiers, like we have veterans. hospitals here in the US. There are no. hospitals, well, there were, no. hospitals for firefighters. They were understaffed, overloaded with. work, and in 2001, just to give you a. little bit of a comparison, the whole country of America, cuz I know. that there's some bigger cities and some. smaller towns, but on average, America.

had about one firefighter for every 280. residents. Korea's firefighter ratio was one. firefighter for every 2,000 people. They could not afford to not work. Not just to pay their own bills, but. they worked 24-hour shifts, nearly 90. hours a week, and they received no. support. Just to share with you how bad. it was. Remember firefighter Kwon? Mhm. A picture went crazy in South Korea. because um. the the collapsing of the house injured.

his shoulder and for hours he used that. injured shoulder to dig his colleagues. out. These are his colleagues. These are. his partners. He just lost six of them. He climbed into a hole, inhaled toxic. fumes for God knows how long to try and. save these people, and none of them. really survived. He was responding to another emergency. call as a firefighter less than 24 hours. later. The very next day. to work? Yeah, they were so. understaffed. And the way that they would tell him. isn't even just, "Oh, then you're not.

You're going to get fired." It was, "Well, if you don't do it, no one's. going to do it, and I guess people will. just burn to death.". What is he going to say to that? It wasn't even about the money. Unbelievable. It's like they're. basically These firemen were basically. being guilt-tripped into working. non-stop because the fire department. would say, "I'm sorry." Yeah, this So, this is all government's. fault. This is the issue here. Yeah. You're not funding it enough. Yeah. So, the very next day, he's at work. No.

time to heal physically or mentally or. emotionally. It was just get back out. there. He said for 6 months, all he did was. drink non-stop to cope with his trauma. He said at one point he was actually. treated like a selfish person by his. superiors to even want a day off to. emotionally and mentally recover. And let alone physically. No one was there for him. The country. failed him. But that's not all. If he were to seek. help, he would have to pay out of. pocket. So, the way it was set up in 2001, if.

firefighters were injured on the job, they would have to pay for the medical. treatment first and then apply for. compensation later. But because of. underfunding, there would be a big, big. chance that they would not get. compensated. But it wasn't just, "Hey, I'm so sorry, we're underfunded." They would make up. the most bizarre excuses. They would. say, "Oh, sorry, that type of injury is. not covered for firefighters." Do you. want to know what wasn't covered for. firefighters? Skin grafts, burn. treatments, skin transplants. The most. common injury for fighting fires were. not covered medically.

Additionally, the firefighters were. often getting burned because the. equipment given to them was never up to. international standards. They were. faulty. How can that be? Let me explain. They were so underfunded during the time. that um. the suits that they wore during this. particular fire was not even the. appropriate gear. This is one of the. most appalling pieces of information to. me because you would think it's like the. most basic, common sense factor about. what a firefighter would need to fight a. fire, a protective fire suit that repels.

fire and that repels the heat of the. fire. That's what you imagine, right? Mhm. That's not what they were wearing. They were wearing waterproof suits. What? What is waterproof? Like. raincoats? Basically, waterproof suits. It was revealed that the reason that. they were given waterproof suits is not. because it's superior or because there. was a reasoning for it. Fire suits are. expensive. They cost about 1,200 USD. each. The government did not think it. was worth it. So, they resorted to.

giving the firefighters $80 waterproof. suits instead. The only way firefighters. could afford their own gear was if they. bought it themselves. But they're. getting paid like $2,500 a month. They're living paycheck to paycheck. I mean, can you imagine this? This whole. suit thing is one of the most. counterintuitive things I have ever. heard. How is this not provided by the. city or the nation? They worked so hard. in the fire, swallowing their own fears. to save someone else's. They're. literally saving the country. They're.

doing the jobs that even politicians. wouldn't even dream of doing for a. single day. And yet they themselves are. unprotected. The government failed them. The nation. failed them. They failed to give them even the most. basic standard. as a first responder, but also just the. basic level of respect. Like, these men were also someone's. precious son, someone's husband and. brother and father. And I'm not saying. that all firefighters are men, but the. six men that died, they were pushed to the forefronts of.

danger and. in the end, the people that they were serving to. protect failed them. They were giving their all, killing a. fire and trying to look for someone they. can save when they themselves, all they. had was a flimsy. raincoat, basically. Who are we asking to save who? The water repellent suit doesn't even. protect them against hot water. They could still get burned from hot. water.

Let alone a fire. Did they just march. into. a burning fire for nothing? I hope not. There were a lot of changes being made. because of them and because of what. happened and because of their story. A protest was held where tens of. thousands of civilians and public. officials came out. They marched on the. streets of Seoul to call attention to. the poor benefits and care that. firefighters were given. A lot of people responded to the. public's outrage. The government. provided more funding. Firefighters went. from working 24-hour shifts every other.

day to three shifts a week. That's still. more than 40 hours. That's like what? 70. hours a week? They were given orange. fire suits that were fire repellent and. they're building a fire hospital for. firefighters who need medical care. Another thing that has changed is. because the fire department was so. underfunded, at 5:00 p.m. every day, the fire stations would turn off heating. even in the middle of the winter. Why? To save power bills? None of the firefighters were even.

allowed to take showers at the station, which left them sitting around with. their nostrils filled with soot and ash. and smoke every day. That has since changed. There's still a lot of work to be done. As of 2011, an investigation uncovered. that firefighters were still sharing. oxygen tanks. They did not have enough. protective equipment to go around. Another investigation uncovered that the. fire suits that the government provided. hadn't even been tested. They hadn't. even gone through quality control. They. weren't even inspected. So, who's to say. that they even meet standards?

And in 2017, a photo went viral of. firefighters taking a break after. extinguishing a fire. They're like laying on the ground out of. breath. They're all piled on top of each other. on the ground. Like cannot breathe, cannot do anything. So, we can only hope with more. conversation their conditions get. better. Firefighter Park Chin-woo, his body was. donated. His mom and his fiance, cuz. remember he was going to get married a. week before this happened.

They just hoped that his death would be. meaningful. His mom said, "Even if I live as long as I can, I'll still want to see my son. I'll never stop wanting to see my son. But at such a young age, he died. But he died doing good things for. others, so I can say, my son was great.". His mom made a monument in her front. yard for her son, and she said that she. was just so afraid as she was aging, as.

she got older, that his memory would. fade. So, she hated the idea that her son. would be forgotten in this world. And. every day, that's kind of like her. purpose in life. She gets up very early, and she wipes down each and every. crevice of that monument, and it gives. her purpose. And she says a little prayer that his. death was not meaningless, and that. things are changing for the rest of the. firefighters. She has the fireman's prayer engraved on. there.

And one of the leading rescue team. officers that worked so hard to get his. colleagues out, his name Lee Heung-tung, after the incident, he was left with. this huge scar on his left shoulder. And he got a tattoo to cover it, and the. tattoo reads, and this is a motto that um. most firemen go up go by. First in, last out. Even after. the nation failed him, everyone failed. him, he still lives by this motto. He's still. at the front lines of every fire. He.

carries a picture of one of his closest. friends that passed in the incident in. his wallet. And he said, "Look, we're. still fighting fires together.". And that's it for today's case. So, please stay safe, and I will see you. guys on Wednesday for the main episode.