April 3, 2025
SEOUL – The Ministry of Justice announced that it is reviewing granting an F-2 visa for an Indonesian national who saved some 60 senior neighbors from wildfires in southeastern South Korea last week.
The F-2 visa, which gives the visa holder long-term residency here, can be granted by the justice minister to individuals who have made special contributions to South Korean society or have been recognized for their service to the public interest.
The Justice Ministry’s decision comes after local media reports about a 31-year-old Indonesian sailor known by the mononym Sugianto, who resided in the village of Gyeongjeong 3-ri in Yeongdeok-gun, North Gyeongsang Province. Sugianto is reported to have carried other residents on his back to evacuate them from the fast-moving blazes.
Sugianto and a village chief, surnamed Yoo, went door-to-door to protect aged residents who struggled to evacuate quickly on March 25, when the wildfires that started in nearby Uiseong-gun spread rapidly eastward, aided by strong winds and dry conditions.
Despite the village’s steep terrain, Sugianto and Yoo carried their neighbors and raced toward the 300-meter seawall, fleeing as flames engulfed their homes.
A woman in her 90s was quoted by local media outlet News1 as saying that she would have died if Sugianto had not come to assist her.
“I fell asleep while watching TV, but I woke up to yelling in a loud voice outside about a wildfire,” the resident said. “When I looked out the door, Sugianto was there, and I was able to escape the house.”
Other villagers said that if it were not for Sugiyanto and Yoo, they too might have been faced with disaster, adding that they hope to continue working and living with such an outstanding, reliable young man.
Some 60 residents who lived in the seaside village were able to evacuate safely when the Uiseong wildfires engulfed Yeongdeok-gun last week.
Meanwhile, the ministry previously tried to assist foreign residents of areas designated special disaster zones — Uiseong, Andong, Cheongsong, Yeongyang and Yeongdeok in North Gyeongsang Province; Sancheong, Hadong in South Gyeongsang Province; and Ulsan’s Ulju — by exempting them from fees required for immigration-related applications, including visa extensions and citizenship applications, until April 30.
It also vowed to help foreign seasonal workers who are unable to continue working due to the fires to transfer to other farms.