‘Gwangju Collapse’ Buried Victims 2 Found by ‘Sobaek’... Turns Out to Be a Veteran Rescue Dog

6th Year of Deployment in Rescue Operations Since 2017

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon’s Active Role in Search and Rescue of Missing Persons on Parents' Day and Other Major Incidents

Highly Trained Professional Rescue Dog with 2 Years of Intensive

Rescue dog 'Sobaek' and handler Fire Sergeant Kim Seonghwan.

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] ‘Bark bark bark’

On the 16th day since the collapse accident of a newly built apartment in Gwangju, on the 26th, the search dog ‘Sobae’ that was deployed for the search of missing persons barked loudly at one side of the gypsum wall on the 27th floor.

Instructor Lee Mingyun of the Central 119 Rescue Headquarters and firefighter handler Kim Seonghwan were tense. Sobae barking like this means there is something.

The instructor and handler broke the gypsum wall using a pickel, and Sobae went inside. Soon, they found bloodstains and part of a work uniform, and confirmed the shape of the buried person with an endoscopic camera. The location of the second buried person among the six missing was identified.

Earlier, on the 13th, Sobae was also present at the moment the location of the first buried person was identified. At that time, two dogs, Sobae and Hangyeol, searched back and forth between the basement 1st floor and the ground 1st floor of the collapsed building.

Sobae buried his nose in the concrete rubble on the basement 1st floor and started barking, and Hangyeol, who was deployed later, showed the same reaction. The rescue workers who examined the location were able to confirm part of the first buried person's body.

Attention is focused on Sobae, a specially trained search dog deployed to search in places difficult for humans to enter, especially for finding two buried persons.

Sobae has been actively deployed in over 220 search operations so far. He has solved several major incidents.

In 2020, Sobae was also at the scene of the search operation for Mayor Park Won-soon of Seoul. Sniffing around here and there, Sobae found Mayor Park’s bag, water bottle, and other belongings near Sukjeongmun in Bukaksan Mountain, and found Mayor Park nearby.

On Parents' Day in 2019, Sobae rescued a missing man in his 70s and returned him to his family. At that time, a missing report was received that a man in his 70s living in Goryeong-gun, Gyeongbuk, had not returned home, and police and firefighters were mobilized for the search but could not find him.

From the third day of the missing report, three search dogs were deployed, and among them, Sobae found the elderly man collapsed in a nearby mountain on the 8th, the next day.

Earlier, in 2018, Sobae also found a missing man in his 60s in Hadong-gun, Gyeongnam, after three days.

Rescue Dog 'Sobaek'

Sobae, who turned 9 this year, is a male Labrador Retriever born on March 17, 2013. After about two years of specialized training, he was deployed in rescue operations from 2017. He is a veteran search dog with six years of experience this year.

Generally, search dogs stay with the handler they first bonded with until retirement. If the handler changes, it can cause stress and interfere with rescue activities due to the strong bond formed.

However, firefighter Kim Seonghwan, Sobae’s current reliable partner, is the second handler. The first handler was transferred, and firefighter Kim formed a bond with Sobae and his colleague.

But Sobae and handler Kim are said to work together as if they were the first partners.

The retirement time varies depending on the search dog’s physical strength and recovery, but generally, they retire after about 8 to 9 years of active service.

Retired search dogs are announced by the fire department. When applications come in, several candidates are shortlisted, and home visits are made to comprehensively assess the house structure, applicant’s personality, attitude toward animals, and conditions for treatment such as surgery when sick, then the dog is placed in the most suitable home.

Sobae, who is running around various sites of the Gwangju apartment collapse accident, is also approaching retirement.

Sobae is scheduled to retire this year, but fortunately, his current condition is good, so he may continue to perform as a search dog.

There are places where search dogs should wear shoes and places where they should not. Wearing shoes can be more dangerous in places where slipping is possible, such as the site of this Gwangju apartment collapse accident.

Sobae, searching the accident site barefoot, is carried by handler Kim in very dangerous places.

Handler Kim said, “Sobae’s physical strength, recovery, and cognitive abilities are currently in very good condition,” and “The relationship between a search dog and handler is not simply a dog and a person, but a bond beyond comradeship, like family.”

The location of three missing persons has not yet been identified at the Gwangju apartment collapse site. We hope Sobae and other search dogs will perform actively without injury.