Colleagues of the late Sergeant Lee Jae-seok, who died in the line of duty while rescuing an elderly person stranded in tidal flats, claimed they were ordered by the Coast Guard leadership to "not tell the truth." They said, "On the day of the incident, the on-site dispatch was carried out solo, in violation of the two-person team principle, and the subsequent situation report was also delayed."
Team members from the Yeongheung police substation held a press conference on the 15th at Cheonggiwa Funeral Home in Dong-gu, Incheon. They said, "We were instructed by the head of the Yeongheung police substation to 'make Sergeant Lee a hero' and to keep quiet about the accident details to the bereaved family or reporters," adding, "Even during the funeral period, we were told, 'Do not contact the bereaved family, and if you see them, ask them to 'shed tears, say nothing, and remain quiet.'"
They went on to say, "The first order from the substation chief to keep the (case) quiet came while the missing Sergeant Lee had been rescued and was being transported to the emergency room," adding, "Behind the container used as the Yeongheung police substation, the substation chief called our team members and other team members urgently mobilized for the search and conveyed what was said to be the (Incheon Coast Guard) chief's instructions."
The accident occurred at 2:07 a.m. on the 11th. After confirming a Chinese man in his 70s stranded on the tidal flats in Yeongheung-myeon, Ongjin-gun, Incheon, Sergeant Lee went to the scene alone. During the rescue, he took off his life jacket to hand it over and attempted other measures, but was swept away by a sudden surge of water and went missing; he was found dead six hours later.
The National Police Agency directive "Rules for operating police substations and the Branch Office" requires at least two people to ride in a patrol car. However, Sergeant Lee responded alone. There were six staff members on duty at the substation at the time, but it is known that the Head of Team ordered other staff to rest until 3 a.m., leaving Sergeant Lee to respond by himself.
Colleagues said, "Even when we returned at 3 a.m., we were not informed about the dispatch. We first learned of the situation through a call from a private drone company." They added, "It was reported to the situation room only about 80 minutes after the accident," and "Previously, the Head of Team had been negligent in reporting to higher agencies, which had been raised as an issue within the team."
One team member said, "Even the facts alone make the deceased a hero, but ordering a gag under the pretext of 'making a hero' was an attempt by the leadership to evade responsibility."
In response, the Incheon Coast Guard said, "We provided all available materials to the bereaved family, including CCTV, radio transcripts, and drone footage, and the allegation of a cover-up is entirely untrue," adding, "The Coast Guard will thoroughly verify the facts."
Sergeant Lee's funeral was held for five days with honors from the Jungbu Regional Coast Guard commissioner, and a memorial service will be held at the Incheon Coast Guard on this day.