Video of Officer’s Last Moments Released…Barely Staying Afloat While Moving His Feet
Sergeant Lee Jae-seok Removing His Life Jacket
[Provided by Incheon Coast Guard. No resale or DB use]
(Incheon = Yonhap News) Reporter Hong Hyun-ki – A video showing the last moments of Marine Police Sergeant Lee Jae-seok (34), who tragically died while trying to rescue an elderly person stranded in a mudflat alone, has been released.
The footage, released by the Coast Guard on the 14th, captures the events of the early morning on the 11th. It shows Sergeant Lee meeting a stranded 70-year-old Chinese national, referred to as A, on a mudflat in Yeongheung Island, Incheon, before he went missing.
Lee met A at 2:54 a.m. and attempted to carry him when he realized that A had a foot injury, which hampered his movement, but was unsuccessful.
Lee then took off his life jacket, handed it to A, and removed gloves from his pocket to place them on A’s injured foot before holding his hand to guide him to the mainland.
However, by 3:02 a.m., the water, which had been waist-high, rose to chin-level, and Lee lost his grip on A due to the strong current and was separated.
The last footage of Lee was captured at 3:27 a.m., 33 minutes after meeting A. In it, he is seen clutching a flashlight and a disaster safety communication device, barely moving his feet to stay afloat in the water.
Despite his struggle to survive in the sea, the Incheon Coast Guard Operations Room only received a missing report by 3:30 a.m., after which they requested aircraft from the Central Coast Guard and dispatched ships and rescue teams to the site.
Before meeting A, at 2:43 a.m., Lee informed his team leader at the Yeongheung Police Station that “the water is rising, and it seems some additional personnel might be needed,” but no action was taken.
At 2:56 a.m., he reported, “The person in need says he can’t move because his foot’s been cut, so I’ve taken off my life jacket to let him escape, and the water [level] is around waist-high,” yet no additional personnel were deployed to the scene.
Lee eventually went missing at sea and was found in a state of cardiac arrest near Geotsum in Yeongheung-myeon, Ongjin County, at 9:41 a.m. He was transported to a hospital but passed away.
The “Patrol Car Operation Rules” from the Korea Coast Guard specify that “as a rule, patrol cars should be manned by at least two people, except in unavoidable circumstances,” but this was not adhered to at the time.