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.<br />For saving an elderly woman from a fire, he's been granted a permanent residency in the country.<br />Our Cha Sang-mi went to meet him in person in Daegu. <br /> <br />A Sri Lankan man named Katabilla Nimal won't have to worry again about qualifying for a visa to keep working in Korea.<br />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.<br />He suffered second degree burns on his neck, head and wrists... and trauma to his lungs from inhaling smoke.<br />But when he realized that the woman was in the burning house, Nimal says he didn't stop to think before springing into action.<br /><br />"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."<br /><br />A former math teacher in his hometown, he came to Korea to earn money for his father's medical bills.<br />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.<br /><br />"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."<br /><br /> “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.”<br /><br />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. <br /> Sri Lanka's most senior diplomat in South Korea expressed pride in his countryman's actions, and said this will strengthen bilateral relations.<br /><br />"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."<br /><br />Meanwhile, Nimal is now looking for plane tickets to Sri Lanka to go and celebrate with his family.<br />Cha Sang-mi, Arirang News, Daegu. <br />
