After Hearing a Sharp Cry, Nurse Saves a Life at Funeral Hall

Seoul City '30-Year Veteran Nurse' Officer Lee Young-ok

"Thank you so much to Nurse Lee Young-ok at Seoul City Hall for saving my older brother."

At a funeral, the chief mourner suddenly became rigid all over and was unable to breathe, reaching the brink of death. Thanks to the emergency response of a nurse, he survived. The nurse refused any reward and quietly left the scene, but the family posted a thank-you message, bringing the incident to light.

Seoul Metropolitan Government Administrative Bureau Human Resources Development Division Health Team Officer Lee Young-ok Photo by Yonhap News

On the 8th, Yonhap News reported the heartwarming story of Nurse Lee Young-ok by quoting a thank-you message posted at Seoul City Hall. The writer stated, "On May 26, my aunt passed away, and when I visited the funeral hall, my cousin, who was the chief mourner, suddenly collapsed from grief and shock," adding, "He experienced convulsions and muscle rigidity, and eventually an emergency situation occurred where he could not breathe."

The writer said they called 119 and performed CPR until the paramedics arrived. At that time, the brother’s face and hands had already turned purple, indicating a rapid deterioration.

The writer wrote, "Then, a woman ran in saying, ‘I am a nurse,’ unbuttoned his shirt, told him to raise his legs, and through a video call with the 119 control center, she relayed my brother’s condition in real time and provided necessary measures."

On the morning of the 7th, Lee Young-ok, an administrative officer of the Health Team in the Human Resources Development Division of the Seoul Metropolitan Government, is demonstrating cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

The woman calmly adjusted the position for CPR, pinched the chief mourner to check his response, and carried out detailed emergency measures. Fortunately, the chief mourner’s breathing and pulse returned, and the 119 paramedics arrived and transported him to the hospital.

Thanks to this, the chief mourner has regained consciousness and is now able to speak, the writer reported. They added, "I wanted to offer a reward out of gratitude and asked for contact information, but she firmly refused," and said, "I remember she said she works at Seoul City Hall, so I am posting my thanks here. Nurse, I sincerely thank you."

The protagonist was Officer Lee Young-ok, who works in the Health Team of the Human Resources Development Division at Seoul City Hall. Lee is a nurse with 30 years of experience working at Seoul municipal hospitals and district health centers, and she transferred to the city’s Health Team in January this year.

On the 26th of last month, she visited a funeral hall at a hospital in Asan, Chungnam with her family when she heard a sharp cry and immediately sensed an emergency. She then saw a middle-aged man collapsed on the floor in front of a memorial photo in the adjacent room. Following the writer’s account, her prompt and precise response saved a life.

Lee said with a smile, "Although it may not be obvious, I feel great pride in the fact that nurses are always present to protect the lives and health of citizens," and added, "If the same situation happens again, I would act the same way."

She continued, "When consciousness is lost, breathing must return within six minutes at the latest for a chance of revival," and left a nurse-like request: "I hope many people learn CPR to be prepared for crisis situations that can happen anytime, anywhere, and in any way."

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