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| Won-out safety shoes of a firefighter after the search-and-rescue mission |
At around 8:20 PM on April 16, Lieutenant Lee Yong-beom (50), a veteran firefighter, completed a grueling five-day search-and-rescue mission at the site of the Shinansan Line tunnel collapse in Iljik-dong, Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province.
After clearing away layers of debris and shattered concrete, he snapped a solemn photo of his worn-out safety shoes, captioned:
“I took this picture of my poor work boots after finishing the removal of all the dust and ruins from the collapse.”
- Worker A (54) from Posco E&C
- Worker B (29), an excavator technician from a subcontractor
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| Resue team is searching for missing persons at the collapse site. |
Gyeonggi Province's Special Rescue Task Force, an elite unit trained for major disasters like collapses, explosions, and complex rescues, was swiftly deployed under Level 1 Emergency Response. This team includes former military special forces and intelligence officers with extensive rescue expertise.
After more than five days of tireless work under life-threatening conditions, Rescue Team 1 recovered the body of Worker A on April 16.
His remains were buried under office supplies, construction materials, and a collapsed container, requiring over 3 hours to retrieve due to the high risk of further collapse.
“Three massive concrete slabs, each the size of a compact car, were cracked and dangling above us. I honestly thought, ‘Will I die here today?’”
Earlier, at dawn on April 12—13 hours after the incident—Rescue Team 2 successfully saved Worker B.
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| Resue team is breaking concrete to rescue the missing worker. |
“He was trapped in a small underground void, completely surrounded by rubble. The area was so unstable that we had almost zero margin for error,” said Sergeant Lee.
“At one point, the young man asked, ‘Am I going to die here?’ That question gave us the strength to keep going.”
In the pitch-black darkness, filled with dust, danger, and unbearable pressure, rescue teams fought not just to save lives, but to bring closure to grieving families. Even when hope seemed lost, they persevered. And though the outcome was bittersweet, their determination turned tragedy into a miracle—for at least one family.
📚 Learn Korean Through This News
Korean Text:
"신안산선 터널공사 붕괴 현장에서 구조 작업을 마친 이용범(50) 소방위가 ″토사, 잔해물을 다 헤치고 구조작업을 끝낸 뒤 내 작업화가 가여워 찍었다″고 전했다."
Key Vocabulary:
- 신안산선 (Sin-an-san-seon) – Shinansan Line (a subway line in Korea)
- 터널공사 (teo-neol gong-sa) – tunnel construction
- 붕괴 (bung-goe) – collapse
- 현장 (hyeon-jang) – site / scene (of an event or accident)
- 구조 작업 (gu-jo ja-geop) – rescue operation
- 마치다 (ma-chi-da) – to finish / to complete
- 소방위 (so-bang-wi) – fire lieutenant
- 토사 (to-sa) – earth and sand (often used in disasters)
- 잔해물 (jan-hae-mul) – debris
- 헤치다 (he-chi-da) – to clear away / to dig through
- 작업화 (ja-geop-hwa) – work boots / safety shoes
- 가엾다 (가여워) (ga-yeop-da) – to feel pity for / to be pitiful
- 찍다 (jjik-da) – to take a photo
- 전하다 (jeon-ha-da) – to report / to convey
Language Insight:
- The expression 가여워 찍었다 is emotional and poetic. It reveals the exhaustion and empathy of the rescue worker toward even his worn-out boots, symbolizing hardship and dedication.
- Words like 토사 and 잔해물 are specific to disaster and rescue contexts, and appear often in news reporting after natural disasters or structural collapses.
- 전하다 is a news-style verb used instead of 말하다, adding formality and distance.
Translation:
"Lee Yong-beom (50), a fire lieutenant who completed rescue operations at the Shinansan Line tunnel collapse site, said, 'After clearing all the earth and debris and finishing the rescue work, I felt sorry for my worn-out work boots, so I took a picture of them.'"
Reference: daum news, 중앙일보, TTHQ