"We Ran Toward the Overturned Car Without a Minute's Hesitation When We Saw the Children's Hands Inside."

[경향신문]

The three assistant directors of the Army 35th Infantry Division who saved a mother and three children from the scene of an accident on the expressway. Courtesy of the 35th Infantry Division

“We ran toward the overturned car without a minute’s hesitation when we saw the hands of the children.”

The news of Army assistant directors who saved the lives of a mother and three children trapped inside an overturned car on the expressway was recently disclosed.

On January 11, the 35th Infantry Division of the R.O.K. Army announced that Kim Tae-hyeon (34), Kim Yeong-min (32), and Yun Dae-gil (34), assistant directors at the Reserve Forces Training Unit in the Baekma (White Horse) Brigade of the division, saved a mother and three children after discovering a car overturned near the Osu Rest Area in Imsil on their way home to Jeonju after work from Namwon on the Suncheon-Wanju Expressway on January 7. As soon as the men saw the hands of the young children in the car window, they ran toward the car without a minute’s hesitation.

When the three men ran to the car, they saw a woman and three children with their seat belts on in the car through the broken car window. Fortunately, they had no serious injuries that were visible. Kim Tae-hyeon and Kim Yeong-min immediately took the pen flare kit out from their car and took initial measures to prevent a secondary accident. They installed a traffic tripod stand and began controlling the road traffic by alerting approaching cars of the accident ahead. By then they had already reported the accident to the 119 Rescue Unit and the police.

At the same time, Yun Dae-gil quickly opened the car door. After examining the passengers for any injuries, he began rescuing the kids first. Kim Yeong-min returned after installing the tripod near the overturned vehicle and helped rescue the children. The two men carefully moved the children to their car, parked in front. When the mother finally got in, they moved the car to the shoulder.

The three men moved fast and in perfect order taking less than ten minutes to save all four people. They remained by the children and the woman reassuring them until the 119 Rescue Squad and the police arrived on the scene and got the situation under control.

The good deeds of the three men did not end there. They waited until the scene of the accident was in order and drove the mother and children to their family who were waiting anxiously at the nearby Osu Rest Area. The mother repeatedly expressed her gratitude saying, “Thank you for saving our lives.”

The three assistant directors worked as Army civilian employees at the training unit for the Reserved Forces after being recruited as experienced employees when they completed active duty. They said, “Since we were on active duty, we thought protecting the lives and safety of the people was the noble mission of the Army.” They also said, “We jumped to the scene without a minute’s hesitation after seeing the hands of the children asking to be rescued from inside the car. We hope the mother and children, who were probably very surprised from of the accident, will recover quickly.”