A firefighter enjoying a day off at a badminton court saved a man in his 60s who suddenly collapsed and lost consciousness, performing CPR until the man came to. The man regained consciousness in about two minutes, and the story became public after his son posted a message of thanks.
According to the Pocheon Fire Station in Gyeonggi Province on the 14th, the man, identified only as A, collapsed at around 3 p.m. on the 10th at an indoor badminton court at the Dongducheon Environmental Works Center.
Bystanders, caught off guard, gathered around him.
Kim Yun-bal, a firefighter with the Pocheon Fire Station who happened to be at the same venue for a club session, spotted the scene. Off duty and exercising on his own time, Kim rushed over to check the man's condition.
The man was unconscious and not breathing normally. Kim began CPR without delay and asked people nearby to call 119, the emergency number.
After about two minutes of chest compressions, the man's arms began to move and his breathing became audible. He then regained consciousness.
Kim stayed at the scene after the man woke up, monitoring his condition until paramedics arrived and took over.
Kim's actions came to light only later, when the man's son posted a message on the "Let's Give Praise" bulletin board on the Pocheon Fire Station website.
Describing what happened when his father suddenly collapsed, the son thanked Kim for his quick judgment and emergency care.
"Thanks to firefighter Kim Yun-bal of the Pocheon Fire Station, who stepped in and performed CPR and took immediate action, my father regained consciousness and was able to get to the hospital quickly by ambulance," he wrote. "I want to say I am truly grateful to him."
Kim played down the rescue, saying it was simply what a firefighter should do. "In an emergency, I only did what a firefighter is supposed to do," he said. "It is important that anyone who finds a person in cardiac arrest call 119 immediately and start CPR right away."