Quick-thinking high schoolers revive 80-year-old in heart-pounding rescue

This combined photo shows Yoon Jae-joon, left, of Daesong High School and Moon Hyun-seo of Hwaam High School in Ulsan, Monday. Courtesy of Ulsan Metropolitan Office of Education

The lunch rush was in full swing at a small restaurant in Ulsan when a sudden shout cut through the noise.

“119! 119!”

Two high school students working part-time in the dining hall looked up at the same moment. An elderly customer in his 80s was sitting motionless at a table, unresponsive. Other diners froze, unsure how to react.

Yoon Jae-joon of Daesong High School and Moon Hyun-seo of Hwaam High School, both second-year students, had little time to think. Moon rushed to the man’s side, gently lowering him to the floor and tilting his head back to secure his airway. Yoon checked for breathing, found almost none, and immediately began chest compressions.

Without exchanging words, the two divided their roles.

After about two minutes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the man regained consciousness. Shortly afterward, paramedics arrived and took him to a nearby hospital. He survived.

When asked later how he had been able to act so calmly, Yoon attributed it not to heroism, but to repetition. His father is a member of the special rescue team at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, and had instructed him in CPR many times since childhood.

“My father always told me not to hesitate and to do exactly what I was taught,” he said. “That advice came back to me at that moment.”

The incident came to light after a witness posted on social media, calling for the students to be recognized for their actions. Attention followed, but both students seemed slightly uncomfortable with the praise.

“We didn’t think we did anything extraordinary,” Moon said. “We just did what anyone should do if they know how.”

Park Soo-young, the principal of Daesong High School, said the students’ actions in a critical moment were “admirable and a source of pride,” adding that the incident reaffirmed the importance of respect for life and emergency response skills. He said the school would continue to strengthen hands-on safety education in the future.