Girl hanging on bridge, police trying to rescue her both fall off; rescued immediately

A statue a man comforting a friend is seen placed in the middle of the Mapo Bridge over the Han River in Seoul. (Yoon Min-sik/The Korea Herald)

A teenager and a police officer were rescued from the Han River Wednesday after they fell from a bridge while the officer was attempting to prevent a suicide attempt.

The Yeouido patrol unit of the Yeongdeungpo Police Station received a report at around 7:24 p.m. that a woman was hanging off the railing of the Mapo Bridge over the major river in central Seoul. Ten officers were immediately dispatched to the site, where a 17-year-old girl was hanging off the railing of the bridge over the river. Meanwhile, a passerby had come over and was holding onto her hand, trying to prevent her from falling.

When one of the dispatched police officers then tried to pull her back over the railing, the girl lost her footing and fell into the river, taking with her the 32-year-old Senior Patrol Officer Kim Beom-su.

Police patrol boats that had been dispatched on the spot were able to rescue both of them shortly after their fall. Neither of them sustained notable injuries from the incident.

It was found that the teen had been suffering from depression, and her being on the bridge had been an attempt to take her own life.

* If you’re thinking about self-harm or suicide, contact the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s helpline at 109, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Please request a translator for English-language services.

By Yoon Min-sik(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)