Boy saves mom with CPR, commended on Children's Day's ceremony

This photo distributed by Bucheon city officials shows Jeong Tae-wun (right) posing with his certificate of appreciation with his mother last Thursday at the Children's Day ceremony at the city hall. (Courtesy of Bucheon city)

An elementary school student who performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on his mother received a certificate of appreciation, city officials in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province said Wednesday.

Jeong Tae-wun, a third-grader of Bucheon Elementary School, was commended in the Children's Day ceremony at Bucheon City Hall last Thursday, for his swift actions that saved his mother's life on Jan. 8.

When his mother collapsed at home that evening, the boy called the 119 emergency service to report the case and performed CPR on her.

The emergency workers who arrived at the scene resuscitated the woman using the automatic external defibrillator, and the patient regained consciousness after five days. She made a recovery and attended the ceremony with her son last week.

"(When she collapsed) I immediately thought about what I learned at school (about CPR). I'm glad my mom got better, and I want to assure my friends that they can (help people too) if they do as they learned," the boy was quoted as saying.

Bucheon Mayor Cho Yong-eek said the city will expand the civilian training on CPR.

"Immediately conducting a CPR (on the patient) nearly doubles the chances of one's survival, so first response is crucial," he said.

Residents of Bucheon can apply to receive the free training via the city's homepage, application for which is available around middle of each month. Up to 30 people can sign up for the monthly training course.