Mistaken for a Baby, Plunges into Winter Sea...Former Rescuer's Courage Earns Praise

Rescue Worker-Turned-YouTuber Saves Man in Changwon
"Seemed to Mistake Him for a Baby Doll and Jumped into the Winter Sea"

Netizens are praising the actions of a man who jumped into the winter sea, mistaking a floating doll for a baby. Former maritime rescue worker Jeong Seong-hoon (35) recently shared the tense situation that occurred on the 8th under the Machang Bridge in Changwon, Gyeongnam, through the YouTube channel 'DeepSeaSide.' Jeong said, "While taking a walk along the sea path with my wife, I heard a splash," and "I saw a man swimming toward something in the sea."

[Image source=YouTube channel 'DeepSeaSide' capture]

At first, Jeong thought the man, Mr. A, was attempting suicide, but after seeing how well he swam, he felt confused. Jeong ran to the sea and shouted at Mr. A, "What are you doing now? Get out quickly." As Mr. A tried to return to land, he seemed exhausted and floated on the water, shouting, "Help me."

Fortunately, Jeong had experience working as a firefighter after being discharged from the Navy's Special Salvage Unit (SSU). Judging the situation as dangerous, he immediately jumped into the sea to rescue Mr. A. Jeong carefully approached Mr. A, grabbed him under the armpits, and slowly pulled him to shore. Another man fishing nearby called 119 (emergency services).

[Image source=YouTube channel 'DeepSeaSide' capture]

Eventually, an unexpected item was found with Mr. A, who was rescued from the sea. He was holding a baby-shaped doll. While performing CPR on Mr. A, Jeong asked, "Did you go in to save this?" Fortunately, Mr. A soon regained consciousness, expressed his gratitude, and left the scene before the 119 rescue team arrived.

Jeong said, "It seems Mr. A cramped up after jumping in, thinking the doll floating in the sea looked like a person. It was both frustrating and admirable." He added, "I sincerely respect the unknown Mr. A, who risked his life to jump into the winter sea. He looked to be in his mid-20s to early 30s. I want to find Mr. A. Please contact me."

Netizens who heard the story responded with comments such as, "Both the young man who tried to save the child and the person who saved him are amazing," "The way he jumped into the sea without hesitation to save a person is so admirable," and "He almost lost a precious life because of a doll."

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