Police Officer Dives In to Rescue Man in His 40s After Spotting Him in Lake

Put a Life Ring on Him Despite Cries to "Leave Me Alone"
Judged the Situation as Dangerous, Jumped into the Lake Without Hesitation

"I simply did what any police officer should do. I'm just relieved that he is safe."

A police officer successfully rescued a man in his 40s who had jumped into a lake. Despite the man's repeated pleas to "leave me alone" and his struggles, the officer managed to put a life ring on him and complete the rescue.

Lieutenant Jo Sungcheon is rescuing a man who fell into the lake. Photo by Yonhap News

According to Yonhap News on August 18, at around 10 p.m. on August 15, the Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency received a report from the Jeonju City CCTV Integrated Control Center that a man was breaking his third mobile phone at Ajung Lake. One to two minutes later, another report came in stating that the man had entered the lake. Officers from the Ajung Police Precinct of the Jeonju Deokjin Police Station, judging the situation to be urgent, were dispatched to Ajung Lake.

Lieutenant Jo Sungcheon, 47, was the officer who arrived at the scene. What he saw was Mr. A floating in the middle of the lake. Mr. A appeared to be completely exhausted, and seemed unable to hold on much longer. Without hesitation, Lieutenant Jo took off his uniform, put on a life vest, and plunged into the cold water. He swam the 30 meters to reach the man without delay.

The rescue, however, was not easy. When Lieutenant Jo handed him the life ring, Mr. A threw it away twice, resisting fiercely and saying, "Leave me alone." Still, Lieutenant Jo did not give up. He managed to put the life ring on Mr. A again, secured him with a rope, and pulled him with all his strength toward the embankment. In the end, Mr. A was safely brought out of the lake. Afterward, he was safely handed over to the Mental Health Welfare Center and his family.

Lieutenant Jo said, "There was some delay between the report and our arrival, and the water was cold, so I thought even a moment's hesitation could put Mr. A in danger. Since I know how to swim, I didn't hesitate to jump into the lake." He added, "Mr. A's family thanked me, but I simply did what any police officer should do. I'm just relieved that he is safe."

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