In light of International Migrants Day celebrated on December 18th, the heroic act of a worker from Sri Lanka has been recognized by South Korea's justice ministry.
For saving an elderly woman from a fire, he's been granted a permanent residency in the country.
Our Cha Sang-mi went to meet him in person in Daegu.

A Sri Lankan man named Katabilla Nimal won't have to worry again about qualifying for a visa to keep working in Korea.
The 39-year-old ran into a burning house last year in Gunwi Country, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, near the apple orchard where he worked ... to save a 90-year-old grandmother trapped inside.
He suffered second degree burns on his neck, head and wrists... and trauma to his lungs from inhaling smoke.
But when he realized that the woman was in the burning house, Nimal says he didn't stop to think before springing into action.

"I didn't think of the danger. A woman in front of the house said 'umma is in there,' 'umma is in there.' I thought to myself, 'whether it's my mom or someone else's mom in Korea, moms are the same.' So I didn't think of the danger."

A former math teacher in his hometown, he came to Korea to earn money for his father's medical bills.
In recognition of his heroic deed, the justice ministry on Tuesday granted him a F-5 visa, which gives him permanent residency... after a unanimous vote by the members of the council for the protection of foreigners' rights.

"This is a more meaningful residence permit because it comes from the gratitude of all our citizens. Mr. Nimal touched the hearts of our people through his righteous deed of saving a life. He reminded us of the nobleness of life and taught us to see the foreigners around us in a more friendly way."

“This is the first time the South Korean government has granted permanent visa status to a foreigner not because they are married to a resident or have invested in the country,... but for a righteous deed -- for saving a South Korean citizen's life from danger.”

As of the end of October this year, there were nearly 2-point-4 million foreigners living in Korea on long-term visas, but less than six percent of those..., roughly 140-thousand, had F-5 status.
Sri Lanka's most senior diplomat in South Korea expressed pride in his countryman's actions, and said this will strengthen bilateral relations.

"Diplomatic ties... we celebrated 40th anniversary last year, so this can be a kind of very important incident where the people-to-people connection will grow with this incident."

Meanwhile, Nimal is now looking for plane tickets to Sri Lanka to go and celebrate with his family.
Cha Sang-mi, Arirang News, Daegu.