"Thank You, Beongaeman Driver"... Bus Driver Helps Wheelchair Citizen Through Heavy Rain

Seoul Arterial Bus No. 470 Driver Lee Jung-ho
Rushed Out to Help Wheelchair User Crossing Round-trip Crosswalk
During Late-night Heavy Rain
Witness: "Thank You, Lightning Man Driver"

Bus driver Lee Jung-ho, who helped a wheelchair-bound citizen at a crosswalk on Gangnam-daero during heavy rain, is gaining attention.
[Photo by Yonhap News Agency (provided by Seoul City Bus Transport Association)]

On the 13th, when heavy rain was pouring down, a bus driver who helped a citizen crossing a busy 10-lane crosswalk on Gangnam-daero in Seocho-gu, Seoul, while in a wheelchair became a hot topic, according to Yonhap News on the 26th.

According to Yonhap News, on that day at the 10-lane crosswalk on Gangnam-daero in Seocho-gu, Seoul, a man in a manual wheelchair was struggling to cross alone without a guardian or umbrella. When the man had not even crossed halfway, the pedestrian signal's green light began to blink. Since it was late at night, dark, and the rain was heavy, vehicles on the opposite side, not having seen him, might start moving as soon as the signal changed, potentially leading to a serious accident.

At that moment, a man suddenly appeared. It was a bus driver who had been watching the man carefully. Sensing the unusual situation, the driver unfastened his seatbelt and ran down toward the man in a single bound. It took only about five seconds. Then, the driver ran across the crosswalk together with the wheelchair user.

This act of kindness by the bus driver has sparked an explosive reaction online. Kim Ji-eun, a children's literature critic who wrote works such as "Children" and "The Third Person," witnessed the scene and posted about it on X (formerly Twitter). Kim wrote, "In the pouring rain, a person in a wheelchair was crossing the crosswalk but had not even crossed halfway when the blinking started," adding, "(At that moment) the bus driver, who was stopped, jumped out of the bus, pushed the wheelchair to the safety zone, and then returned to the bus soaking wet. He was like Lightning Man." She also expressed gratitude with wheelchair and heart emojis, saying, "Thank you, Bus 470, No. 1371."

On the 'Compliments' board of the Damoa Automobile website, which operates Seoul's trunk bus No. 470, messages of thanks from citizens who witnessed the scene continued. One citizen wrote, "The visibility was poor due to the rain, and the person crossing seemed to have difficulty operating the manual wheelchair," adding, "At that moment, the driver of bus No. 470, who was stopped, opened the front door and ran out, quickly helping despite the heavy rain." The citizen described it as "a warm moment that unfolded in an instant," and said, "Thanks to the driver, I was able to start Chuseok with a kind heart. I sincerely thank you."

Bus driver Lee Jung-ho, who helped a wheelchair-bound citizen at a crosswalk on Gangnam-daero during heavy rain, is gaining attention.
[Photo by Yonhap News Agency (provided by Seoul City Bus Transportation Association)]

A bus black box video capturing the tense situation at the time was also released. The protagonist driving the bus is driver Lee Jung-ho, who has 10 years of bus driving experience. On the 26th, Lee told Yonhap News, "It was a rainy night, and the person was not skilled in using the wheelchair, struggling to pass through a hilly area without a guardian or umbrella." Because of the heavy rain, visibility was poor, and he was worried that vehicles on the opposite lane might start moving immediately when the signal changed. He immediately asked for passengers' understanding on the bus and ran out onto Gangnam-daero. Lee said, "At that time, I only thought 'people come first,'" adding, "I would act the same way if the same thing happened again." He also stated, "I will continue to do my best so that passengers can spend their days safely without accidents."