Michael Blunck, an former actor and wakeboarder, rode a jet ski into the Hangang River to rescue a middle school student after hearing screams near Seoul’s World Cup Bridge.
The rescue took place at around 7:40 a.m. on Sept. 14, according to an SBS report aired Sunday.
Blunck, who is from the US, said he was walking around his riverside office when he heard screaming outside.
“I came out, and I saw just a head in the water. And it looked like he was trying to swim,” he told SBS.
Blunck immediately took a jet ski out onto the river and pulled the student from the water. CCTV footage showed him heading toward the student before handing the boy over to rescue workers who arrived shortly afterward.
A fire official said the student was conscious and breathing normally when he was taken into care, according to reports citing SBS.
While waiting for rescuers, Blunck said he tried to reassure the student and act like “a good big brother, or an uncle.”
The boy repeatedly apologized for making him come out to help, Blunck said. Blunck told him not to worry and patted him on the head and shoulders as he offered encouragement.
“I just want him to be happy,” Blunck said in a message to the student. “I want him to feel loved by his family and friends, his teachers.”
A witness later recognized Blunck from his television appearances after zooming in on a photo taken at the scene, SBS reported.
Blunck made his Korean drama debut as Kyle in MBC’s “Assorted Gems,” which aired from 2009 to 2010. He later appeared in the 2011 SBS drama “New Tales of Gisaeng.”
Before acting, he had worked in Korea as a wakeboarder. He has since left the entertainment industry and currently works for a bottle manufacturer, according to SBS.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
