S. Korea appoints 1st female assistant fire commissioner

▲ This undated photo, provided by the National Fire Agency, shows Lee Oh-sook, who was promoted on May 24, 2024 to lead the Jeonbuk Fire Headquarters in North Jeolla Province, becoming the first female in the country to hold the position of assistant fire commissioner. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

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S. Korea appoints 1st female assistant fire commissioner

SEOUL, May 24 (Yonhap) -- A female spokesperson for South Korea's fire agency was promoted Friday to become the country's first female assistant fire commissioner.

Assistant fire commissioner is the third-highest position in the National Fire Agency (NFA), only after fire commissioner and deputy fire commissioner.

Lee Oh-sook, 57, was promoted to lead the Jeonbuk Fire Headquarters in North Jeolla Province, which was recently upgraded from the position of chief superintendent to assistant fire commissioner, according to the NFA.

It marks the first time in 76 years that a woman has held such a top position since the fire agency first started off as a division under the Ministry of Interior in 1948.

Appointed as the first female spokesperson of the NFA last year, Lee is known for her outstanding crisis management and communication skills.

Lee vowed to do her best to protect the safety of the residents in her province, as well as her firefighter colleagues, with a "greater sense of responsibility" as the first female assistant fire commissioner.

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