National Hero 'Dalgwan-i' Who Rescued Joyang to Be Discharged

Army 32nd Division Reconnaissance Dog Service... 10 Years of Military Dog Service

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] 'Dalgwan,' the military dog hailed as a national hero for rescuing middle school student Jo Eun-nuri (then 14 years old), who went missing three years ago in Cheongju, Chungbuk, will be discharged on the 8th. Jo went missing after getting lost near the source of Musimcheon in Gadeok-myeon, Sangdang-gu, Cheongju City on July 23, 2019. Despite deploying a total of 5,800 personnel from the police and military over ten days, Jo's whereabouts remained unknown until she was dramatically found by Dalgwan on August 2.

Dalgwan is a male German Shepherd born in 2012. Military dogs are classified according to their missions into reconnaissance dogs, tracking dogs, and explosive detection dogs, with Dalgwan classified as a reconnaissance dog. Reconnaissance dogs are trained to detect obstacles as well as to respond sensitively to carbon dioxide and body scent emitted when a person breathes.

Dalgwan underwent intensive training for 20 weeks at the Army Military Dog Training Center in 2013. Only 30% of all military dog candidates pass this training. After completing the training, Dalgwan was assigned to the 32nd Infantry Division's Mobile Battalion that same year. Upon assignment, Dalgwan quickly gained recognition for his skills. He won the grand prize at the 2016 Military Dog Competition and ranked first in the annual reconnaissance dog refresher courses in 2014 and 2015, and second in 2018.

Dalgwan is now 10 years old, which corresponds to a human age in the 70s. The Army judged that due to physical limitations, Dalgwan could no longer perform missions and decided to retire him so he could spend the rest of his life comfortably.

The unit prepared a special retirement ceremony for Dalgwan on this day. Jo Eun-nuri, whom Dalgwan rescued three years ago, attended the event and expressed her gratitude by placing a flower necklace on Dalgwan.

Jo's father, Jo Han-shin, said, "If it were not for the Army soldiers and Dalgwan, our family would not be here today," and added, "I hope Dalgwan, who devoted himself to the country and the people, spends his remaining years happily and comfortably."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.