Fire rescue dog Chungseong attends his retirement ceremony at a Busan unit on Wednesday, marking his farewell to fellow rescuers. (Yonhap) After seven years and 16 successful rescues across South Korea, fire rescue dog Chungseong officially retired on Wednesday and joined his adoptive family.The Busan Fire and Safety Headquarters held a retirement ceremony on Wednesday at the Haeundae district rescue unit. Attendees included the unit commander, three of Chungseong's former handlers, and his new adoptive family."We sincerely hope Chungseong can now put down the burden of rescue work and enjoy a healthy and happy second chapter of his life with his new family," said Ahn Seong-ho, commander of Busan's 119 Special Rescue Unit,Chungseong, a male Belgian Malinois whose name means loyalty in Korean, joined the unit in April 2019.During his service, Chungseong participated in 291 rescue missions and helped save 16 lives. Notably, he located two elderly individuals with dementia who had gone missing in the mountains, reuniting one with family on Samgaksan in Gijang-gun in 2020 and another near Eungbong Beacon Tower in Saha-gun in 2023.At 11 years old, roughly equivalent to a human in their 80s, Chungseong is retiring because he is no longer physically suited for emergency rescue work, according to the fire headquarters.After a competitive screening process, the headquarters selected a family in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, to adopt him. Chungseong is pictured with Ahn Seong-ho, commander of Busan's 119 Special Rescue Unit, and his handler, firefighter Song Woo-young, during the retirement ceremony at the unit in Haeundae district, Busan, on Wednesday.(Yonhap) Fire rescue dog Chungseong attends his retirement ceremony at a Busan unit on Wednesday, marking his farewell to fellow rescuers. (Yonhap) Fire rescue dog Chungseong attends his retirement ceremony at a Busan unit on Wednesday, marking his farewell to fellow rescuers. (Yonhap) Fire rescue dog Chungseong looks up at a fellow rescuer during his retirement ceremony in Busan on Wednesday. (Yonhap) Firefighters honor fire rescue dog Chungseong with a flower garland during his retirement ceremony on Wednesday. (Yonhap)