Man with severe mental disability rescued from highway after citizen's call

Police rescued a man in his 60s with a severe mental disability who had been wandering on a highway.

According to the South Jeolla Provincial Police Agency, a citizen called in at around 6:39 p.m. on June 16 to report that an elderly man was walking on the Honam Expressway near the Dong-Gwangju interchange in Yongbong-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju, heading southwest.

The 5th District Highway Patrol Unit tracked the man's location through closed-circuit television monitoring and arrived at the scene nine minutes after the call, rescuing him as he moved along the highway's median barrier.

Vehicles were speeding past the man at the time of the rescue, making for a harrowing scene. He was later identified as having a severe mental disability.

Officers calmed the man and coordinated with staff at a care facility to ensure he was safely returned home. Police also requested that a wandering-detection device be issued to the local precinct to prevent a recurrence.