A man in his 40s jumped into the sea to save three children including his own, but ended up drowning, in a tragic ending to a family trip to Jeju Island.
According to the rescue officials and the Jeju Coast Guard, the incident occurred at around 2:26 p.m. on Friday off the coast of Jeju City, in the northern part of the island. The man's two children were playing in the water with their friend and got caught in the rising tides.
The man jumped into the water and helped the three children climb onto a nearby breakwater, but did not manage to escape himself. He was pulled from the water by his acquaintance shortly before the rescue officials arrived, but his heart had stopped by then.
He was given cardiopulmonary resuscitation before being taken by helicopter to Cheju Halla General Hospital, but was pronounced dead at around 4:28 p.m.
This was the second water-related death in the area that day. A tourist in his 30s went missing at the city's Gwakji Beach at around 2:40 p.m. the same day, and was found dead 70 minutes later.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
