"Superman Is No Match" Brave Citizens Who Rushed Into the Perilous 'Water Bomb'

Citizen Rescues Driver Trapped in Water Up to Neck
Over 40 People Gather on Weekday Early Morning to Clear Waterway on Walking Trail
Citizen Opens Drain Pipe Barehanded to Remove Trash

On the evening of the 8th, public official Pyo Se-jun is rescuing a female driver stranded at an apartment intersection in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by JTBC

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jeong-wan] Amid ongoing flooding and casualties caused by heavy rain in the metropolitan area, the selfless actions of citizens stepping forward without hesitation in times of crisis are drawing attention.

While some citizens were captured rescuing stranded drivers in water rising up to their necks, others opened drainage covers with their bare hands to remove trash. About 40 residents quickly gathered in the early hours of a weekday after hearing an emergency broadcast from an apartment security office warning of a potential landslide, and they swiftly cleared the waterway along a walking path.

According to a JTBC report on the 9th, on the evening of the 8th when heavy rain poured down, water suddenly flooded the road at an intersection near an apartment complex in Seocho-gu, Seoul, where cars were waiting at a traffic light. Within less than three minutes, the water rose to knee height.

A witness, Mr. A, who was at the scene, barely escaped by opening his car’s sunroof, but the water quickly rose to the roof. Soon, the stopped cars began to float on the water. After climbing onto the sidewalk to catch his breath, Mr. A witnessed a citizen rescuing a female driver. He immediately turned on his phone camera and started recording the scene.

The released video shows a man rescuing the stranded female driver. Despite the heavy rain and muddy water rising to neck level, the man grabbed the woman by the no-parking zone marker and pulled her while swimming with his other hand against the current.

According to Mr. A, the man left the scene without saying much after rescuing the woman. After the video went viral, the identity of the man who disappeared was revealed. He is Mr. Pyo Se-jun (27), a Ministry of National Defense official. It is known that Mr. Pyo was a youth swimming athlete during elementary school.

In an interview with JTBC, Mr. Pyo said, "The woman was shouting 'Help me' from the car trunk, and I saw her husband on the opposite side saying, 'Hold on to something tight.'" After completing the rescue, Mr. Pyo handed the woman safely over to her husband.

Another citizen hero who unclogged a blocked drainage grate also became a hot topic. On the same day (the 8th), an online community posted a message titled "Superman appeared at Gangnam Station in real time" along with photos. The man in the photos opened a drainage cover with his bare hands and cleared trash near Gangnam Station, which was flooded due to the heavy rain.

Without an umbrella or raincoat, the man continued cleaning despite his pants getting soaked. The poster expressed gratitude, saying, "Thanks to him, the water that had risen up to the calves quickly receded," and added, "There is no other Superman."

In the early morning of the 9th, residents gathered near a walking trail in an apartment complex in Uiwang-si, Gyeonggi Province, to clear a waterway. Photo by KBS

There was also an incident where about 40 residents gathered late at night on a weekday to clear the waterway along a walking path. According to a KBS report on the 9th, the walking path near an apartment complex in Uiwang-si, Gyeonggi Province, began to flood as soil slid down from nearby Moraksan Mountain. With concerns about a potential landslide if left unattended, the security office issued an emergency broadcast at 1 a.m., asking residents who could help to assist, saying, "Due to the landslide, water is rising on the walking path, so residents who can help, please assist."

One resident who heard the broadcast hurried to the scene but worried, "Many people have to go to work the next day, so not many will come out." However, upon arrival, about 30 to 40 residents had already gathered. They started removing stones and soil using dustpans and rubber gloves, and the situation was quickly resolved. The person who reported the story said, "Even though it was early on a weekday, many people gathered to help in a potentially dangerous situation, and the warm scene prompted me to report it."