Man Who Saved Teen Girl from Assault Was a Current Professor: "Instinctively Threw Myself"

Professor Kim Tae-jin of Jeonbuk National University Subdues Assailant After Witnessing Assault
"Anyone Would Have Done the Same... It's Not a Big Deal"

On the 28th of last month, a man who subdued an assailant assaulting a teenage girl named A in downtown Jeonju was revealed to be a current professor. The man is Kim Tae-jin (39), a professor in the Department of Industrial Information Systems Engineering at Jeonbuk National University College of Engineering.

According to Yonhap News on the 9th, Professor Kim explained the circumstances of rescuing A, saying, "I went out for a run at night, and when I saw a student bleeding after being hit by an assailant, I instinctively rushed in."

'Professor Kim Tae-jin of Jeonbuk National University who caught the random assault perpetrator.' / Provided by Jeonbuk National University

On the day of the incident, around 10 p.m. on the 28th of last month, Professor Kim was jogging on a road in Pyeonghwa-dong, Wansan-gu, Jeonju. While running for a while, he witnessed a man in his 50s indiscriminately assaulting a female student.

Professor Kim recounted the situation, saying, "Although it was dark, a small female student was being indiscriminately beaten by the assailant with a blunt object and fists. Seeing blood flowing on the student's face, I instinctively ran over."

He added, "The man even strangled the bleeding student's neck. I first restrained the man's arms and legs, calmed the student, and waited until the police arrived."

When asked if he had any experience in self-defense such as martial arts or combat sports, Professor Kim replied, "I just usually run, and that day I witnessed the incident while running. Even without learning self-defense, anyone would have acted the same in that situation. It's not a big deal."

Thanks to Professor Kim's proactive response and a citizen's report, the police who arrived at the scene were able to immediately apprehend the assailant. Fortunately, A is reported to be out of danger.

The suspect who assaulted A stated to the police, "The female student was on the phone, and I thought she was talking to me. It seemed like she was mocking me," acknowledging the charges.

The police judged the crime to be severe and applied attempted murder charges, detaining the man.