Lee Dong-gyu, who rescued a father and daughter from the sea off Jeju [Jeonju Facilities Corporation]
Lee Dong-gyu, who rescued a father and daughter from the sea off Jeju [Jeonju Facilities Corporation]

A Jeonju Facilities Corporation employee on vacation has been hailed as a hero after rescuing a father and daughter swept out to sea at a Jeju beach.

According to the corporation, Lee Dong-gyu, 38, who works at the Jeonju Crematorium, was relaxing at Hamdeok Beach in Jocheon-eup, Jeju, on the morning of Sept. 15 when he heard screams for help coming from the open water.

Looking toward the sea, Lee spotted a middle-aged man and a young woman being battered by waves about 100 meters from shore. The two were later identified as father and daughter.

Lee immediately asked bystanders to call 119, then grabbed a nearby surfboard and plunged into the water. The woman was staying afloat through survival swimming, but the man was spent and slowly sinking. Lee pulled the man onto the board first, caught his breath, and then brought the woman to safety as well.

As the man's breathing and consciousness deteriorated, Lee swam both of them back to shore on the surfboard. All three arrived on the beach worn out, where paramedics took over and rushed the father and daughter to a hospital. Both made a full recovery. Investigators determined that the father had been swimming with his daughter when they were caught in a current and swept away by the waves.

The rescue came to light after the father posted a message of gratitude on the corporation's website praise board.

"My daughter and I were in a desperate situation with no way out on our own," the father wrote. "Lee's courageous actions saved our lives. I was too shaken at the time to express my gratitude properly, and I wanted to convey how truly thankful I am."

"The moment I heard the screams, I wasn't thinking about anything else — just that I had to save them," Lee said. "I'm just relieved that both of them are safe."

Jeonju Facilities Corporation plans to present Lee with a commendation in recognition of his act of bravery.


123@heraldcorp.com