"Baby Fell In": Good Samaritan Jumps Into Lake and Surprises with Reward Donation

Kim Gyeong-ho, who is in charge of inspecting electrical switchboards at Baegun Lake in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, was working as usual on the evening of May 1 when he suddenly heard something fall into the water.

[Kim Gyeong-ho / Good Samaritan who rescued the 19-month-old baby: I think I heard a splashing sound twice. So I was startled and ran over, and I saw a baby sinking. Such a tiny baby.]

A 19-month-old baby who had been sightseeing by the lake had fallen in, and a man presumed to be the child's father had also jumped into the water.

In a critical, split-second situation and despite people around him trying to stop him, Kim had only one thought: he had to save the baby.

[Kim Gyeong-ho / Good Samaritan who rescued the 19-month-old baby: Grandmothers and other people nearby were trying to stop me. They asked where I was trying to jump in, and if I had no fear. But I do not know. At that moment, my only desire was to save the baby.]

Although it was dark after sunset and the lake was nearly 3 meters deep, Kim said he found the courage the moment he spotted the baby.

[Kim Gyeong-ho / Good Samaritan who rescued the 19-month-old baby: The moment I saw the baby, it was purely my emotion. The baby seemed to be saying, "Grandfather, please save me," so a strength I did not know I had came out.]

During the rescue, Kim also faced dangerous situations, such as getting cramps in his legs and swallowing water multiple times, but he ultimately used all his strength to pull the child out of the water in about 15 minutes.

Fortunately, both the baby and the father were safe, and about 10 days later, the child's parents visited Kim's workplace to deliver rice cakes and watermelon and express their gratitude.

When Kim's brave action became known, the LG Welfare Foundation presented him with the "LG Award for righteous acts" in the self-sacrifice category last month and awarded him a prize.

Kim's good deeds did not stop there, as he donated a portion of the prize money to the Cheonggyedong Community Service Center, asking that it be used for vulnerable children in the area.

Kim said that although he is not well off himself, he wanted to share because he has received a lot of help throughout his life.

[Kim Gyeong-ho / Good Samaritan who rescued the 19-month-old baby: Cheonggyedong is my second hometown, and I received quite a bit of help living here and so on. So with the heart of wanting to contribute even just a little bit.]

The donation delivered by Kim was distributed to three vulnerable households in the area.

(Reported by Kim Taewon | Video by Kim Na-on | Graphics by Yook Do-hyun | Produced by SBS Digital News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.