"Survived Five Days With Two Bottles of Water"... Man in His 30s Rescued After Being Lost on Mt. Mudeung

Collapsed During Hike Without a Mobile Phone
Dramatic Rescue Achieved Through Police and Inter-Agency Search Cooperation

A man in his 30s who went missing on Mt. Mudeung after leaving home saying he was going to exercise was dramatically rescued after five days, thanks to an intensive search by the police.

According to Yonhap News Agency on May 10, a desperate emergency call was made to the missing persons team at Gwangju Seobu Police Station late at night on April 27. The caller reported that his son, who had left home in the morning to exercise, had not returned even late into the night. Furthermore, Mr. A had left his mobile phone at home, making it impossible to contact him.

The police immediately began tracking Mr. A’s movements. After analyzing CCTV footage, they confirmed that Mr. A left his home in Hwajeong-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju, took a taxi near Ssangchon Intersection, and headed in the direction of Jeungsimsa Temple. He then proceeded toward the Saeinbong trail on Mt. Mudeung. After confirming these movements, the missing persons team determined that Mr. A was likely lost during his hike and began a search operation. Drones and search dogs were deployed, and a large-scale search was conducted, focusing on the Mt. Mudeung area.

Yonhap News Agency

Police narrowed down the possible routes Mr. A could have taken and continued the search around the clock for five days. On the morning of the fifth day, May 1, while concentrating their search around Saeinbong, police discovered Mr. A collapsed about 200 meters off the Yaksaam trail. At the time he was found, Mr. A was suffering from severe dehydration and exhaustion. It was reported that he survived for five days with only two bottles of water he had brought with him.

Investigations revealed that Mr. A, who was not in good health, had suddenly lost strength during the hike and collapsed, after which he was unable to move properly.

Mr. A was immediately transported to a hospital for treatment and is currently recovering.

Lee Youngdae, head of the missing persons team at Gwangju Seobu Police Station, stated, "We were able to rescue him safely thanks to cooperation with related organizations and our persistent search efforts," adding, "We will continue to do our utmost to protect the lives and safety of citizens."

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