Bahk Eun-ji has been with The Korea Times since 2012, building a career across multiple desks. She began at the Business Desk, where she conducted in-depth interviews with key figures in Korea's corporate world. Later, she moved to the Politics & City Desk, focusing on education policy and social affairs. She later served as team leader of the digital content team, leading curation efforts on the newspaper’s homepage and reshaping print stories for social media audiences to enhance digital reach. Now back on the Politics Desk, she covers the National Assembly and the Ministry of National Defense, with a renewed focus on political developments.
Off-duty firefighter saves co-passenger on honeymoon return flight
Jeong Mu-woong / Courtesy of Haenam Fire Station
By Bahk Eun-ji
A firefighter rushed to help a passenger who collapsed just minutes before takeoff on a flight home from his honeymoon, quickly recognizing the emergency and restoring her breathing.
According to the Haenam Fire Station in South Jeolla Province, Jeong Mu-woong, a 34-year-old firefighter assigned to a 119 safety center in Haenam, encountered the emergency on Feb. 14 aboard a flight from Sydney to Incheon.
A Korean woman in her 40s suddenly collapsed after showing seizure-like symptoms and lost consciousness, as flight attendants prepared to perform CPR.
Jeong immediately checked her pulse and determined that she was not in cardiac arrest but that her airway was blocked by her tongue.
“With cases like this, every second matters,” Jeong said. “I focused on securing the airway first because breathing had to be restored quickly.”
With the patient’s jaw stiffened following the seizure, he used a jaw-thrust maneuver to open her airway. He then worked with a nurse on board and used a device to keep her airway open and help maintain her breathing.
The passenger regained spontaneous breathing within about five minutes and fully recovered consciousness roughly 15 minutes later. She was later handed over to medical staff upon arrival at Incheon International Airport.
Jeong previously worked as an emergency medical technician at a hospital and has served as a paramedic for more than four years.
He said his experience in emergency response helped him remain calm during the incident, allowing him to quickly assess the situation and take appropriate action without hesitation.
“Any paramedic would have done the same in that situation,” Jeong said. “I feel proud that I was able to help save a life at the end of my honeymoon.”