At the Restaurant for a Birthday Celebration, "Help Me"... Army NCO and Wife Save a Life

Staff Sergeant Park Kyungmok and His Wife
Perform Emergency Aid at a Restaurant
Quick Response Helps Save a Life on Their Birthday

An Army non-commissioned officer and his wife saved a life after visiting a restaurant to celebrate a birthday. Yonhap News reported on the 10th the story of Staff Sergeant Park Kyung-mok (45), serving in the Black Dragon Battalion of the 2nd Brigade, 6th Division of the Army, and his wife.

The couple visited a Chinese restaurant in Cheorwon-gun, Gangwon Province, on the 17th of last month. While having dinner, they heard another customer shout, "Please call 119." The couple immediately went to the kitchen where the sound came from. There, an employee was collapsed.

Sergeant Park Kyung-mok who saved a citizen's life and his wife. Photo by Sergeant Park Kyung-mok

The employee's body was stiffening and his lips were gradually turning blue. Sergeant Park’s wife worked at an orthopedic clinic and held a Level 1 Emergency Medical Technician certification, so she immediately began chest compressions on the employee.

At that time, the collapsed employee’s head was bent forward as if paralyzed, making cardiopulmonary resuscitation difficult. Sergeant Park promptly tilted the employee’s head back to secure the airway. CPR was then continued in this position.

Soon, color began to return to the employee’s face. He started breathing, albeit roughly and slowly. The couple monitored the patient until the 119 paramedics arrived.

The paramedics said the couple’s quick response secured the patient’s golden time. Upon arrival, the paramedics told the restaurant owner, "For cardiac arrest patients, the golden time is critical, so it’s fortunate that CPR was performed immediately."

The restaurant owner also expressed gratitude to the couple. He said, "(After the paramedics left) the military family greeted us, saying, 'You must have been very shocked; please take care and rest well,' and then left. It turned out it was their birthday that day, and they came to the restaurant to eat but ended up dining somewhere else."

He added, "I couldn’t properly thank them because I was so shocked and exhausted. Instead, I still feel deeply moved recalling how they comforted me before leaving."

According to them, the male employee who had collapsed recovered and was discharged from the hospital earlier this month.