Incheon: President Lee Jae Myung on Friday mourned the death of a Coast Guard officer sent to rescue a Chinese man during high tide.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Lee sent his chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik to deliver a condolence message to the funeral home of the officer, Lee Jae-suk, a day after he died while rescuing a Chinese man in his 70s from a mudflat in Incheon, just west of Seoul.
"The deceased, with only a sense of duty to save lives, ran without hesitation into the middle of a mudflat that was swelling in pitch darkness," the president wrote. "I express deep sadness and condolences over the death of assistant inspector Lee Jae-suk, who dedicated himself until the last moment to save a life."
The officer was found to have taken off his life vest and put it on the Chinese man before getting lost while swimming to shore together.
"We will never forget his noble spirit and sacrifice," Lee said. The president also extended his condolences to the officer's family and colleagues while recalling that the nation's safety depends on the dedication of "heroes in uniform."
Kang said the government will do everything to determine the circumstances that led to the officer's death.