Man's best friends play vital, courageous role in search and rescue operations

Fire Lieutenant Jang Taek-yong of the Gyeonggi Northern Special Response Unit and search dog Nampoong carry out a rescue operation at the site of the Shinansan Line tunnel collapse from April 12 to 15. [GYEONGGI NORTHERN SPECIAL RESPONSE TEAM] “I was able to summon more courage just watching this fearless partner silently carry out her mission despite the risk of a second collapse.” The “fearless partner” that Fire Lieutenant Jang Taek-yong from the Gyeonggi Northern Special Response Team referred to was not a fellow officer, but a 5-year-old female German shepherd named Nampoong. Related ArticleRescue dog Tobaek returns from Turkey a national heroDog reunited with elderly owner after escape from North Gyeongsang blazeFour out of 10 dog farms in Korea closed since dog meat ban Nampoong was deployed eight times from April 12 to 15 at the site of the Shinansan Line tunnel collapse in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi, to search for a worker trapped in the debris. Although the worker was eventually found dead, the role Nampoong played in locating the victim in such a perilous environment was crucial. Even for Jang, a 20-year veteran of the force, the Shinansan Line site was among the most treacherous rescue scenes he had ever encountered. He reassured his worried wife before heading out, saying he would be fine. But upon arrival, he admitted he briefly thought whether he should have left a will. Roughly 50 meters (164 feet) of roadway had caved in, entangling soil, shipping containers and steel H-beams. In the face of potential secondary collapses, Nampoong and other search dogs entered the scene wearing vests marked with the Taegeukgi, the Korean flag. Handler Kim Han-seong and search dog Gureum, from the Central Rescue Headquarters' Seoul Metropolitan Unit, left, and handler Na Sang-bo and search dog Pado, from the Central Rescue Headquarters' Chungcheong and Gangwon Unit at the Shinansan Line tunnel collapse site [GYEONGGI NORTHERN SPECIAL RESPONSE TEAM] “The rescue team would clear a path little by little through the collapsed structures, and the dogs would narrow the search by sniffing around,” Jang explained. Unleashing heroism Search dogs are trained not to identify a person’s specific scent, but to detect “stationary smells” — those that do not move. This allows them to distinguish between lost hikers and bystanders during mountain rescues. In the collapsed tunnel, the narrow entry points made it difficult to pick up the victim’s scent. Layers of soil and steel blocked any odor from escaping. Compounding the challenge, the confined space increased the chances of dogs mistaking rescuers’ scents for stationary ones. As a result, search dogs were sometimes deployed only after a two-hour wait, giving the rescuers’ scent a chance to disperse. Fire Lieutenant Jang Taek-yong of the Gyeonggi Northern Special Response Unit and search dog Nampoong conduct a search at the Gwangmyeong Shinansan Line tunnel collapse site. [GYEONGGI NORTHERN SPECIAL RESPONSE TEAM] At around 11 p.m. on April 15, Nampoong alerted the team with a series of barks, a “notification response” indicating a possible find. Earlier that day, she and other dogs had shown interest near one of three locations rescuers had pinpointed, focusing on an area near a container. As rescuers manually cut through steel and dug with shovels 15 meters underground, the dogs followed closely, noses to the ground. After digging down about 4 meters, the dogs began reacting again, and 2 meters further in, the missing worker was found. 30,000-times-better sense of smell Currently, 37 human search dogs like Nampoong are active across fire and disaster departments nationwide. The need for such dogs was recognized after the collapse of the Sampoong Department Store in 1995, leading to a program to train search dogs for disaster response. Fire Lieutenant Jang Taek-yong of the Gyeonggi Northern Special Response Unit trains with search dog Nampoong. [GYEONGGI NORTHERN SPECIAL RESPONSE TEAM] These dogs not only find victims in collapsed structures, but also assist in rescuing people who are drowning and help to locate missing dementia patients. Their sense of smell is said to be about 30,000 times more acute than that of humans. At 5 years old, Nampoong’s abilities are at her peak. Most search dogs undergo training from birth to age 3 and begin official deployment around age 4. They typically work for 4 to 5 years with a single handler before retiring. “We practice by having the dog search for a hidden person in a mock debris area, then reward her with her favorite ball,” said Jang, adding that training continues even on quiet days. Nampoong, a 5-year-old female German Shepherd, belongs to the Gyeonggi Northern Special Response Unit. [GYEONGGI NORTHERN SPECIAL RESPONSE TEAM] Jang and Nampoong were first paired in December 2023. After 16 months together, they now work in perfect sync and are regularly sent to A-grade disaster zones, such as the recent tunnel collapse. “If she could understand,” Jang said, “I’d tell her: ‘You must’ve been scared, but you didn’t give up and saw it through to the end. You’re truly an amazing partner.’” Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.BY LEE SU-MIN [[email protected]]

Man's best friends play vital, courageous role in search and rescue operations Published: 24 Apr. 2025, 09:00 Fire Lieutenant Jang Taek-yong of the Gyeonggi Northern Special Response Unit and search dog Nampoong carry out a rescue operation at the site of the Shinansan Line tunnel collapse from April 12 to 15. [GYEONGGI NORTHERN SPECIAL RESPONSE TEAM] “I was able to summon more courage just watching this fearless partner silently carry out her mission despite the risk of a second collapse.

” The “fearless partner” that Fire Lieutenant Jang Taek-yong from the Gyeonggi Northern Special Response Team referred to was not a fellow officer, but a 5-year-old female German shepherd named Nampoong. Related Article Rescue dog Tobaek returns from Turkey a national hero Dog reunited with elderly owner after escape from North Gyeongsang blaze Four out of 10 dog farms in Korea closed since dog meat ban Nampoong was deployed eight times from April 12 to 15 at the site of the Shinansan Line tunnel collapse in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi, to search for a worker trapped in the debris. Although the worker was eventually found dead, the role Nampoong played in locating the victim in such a perilous environment was crucial.

Even for Jang, a 20-year veteran of the force, the Shinansan Line site was among the most treacherous rescue scenes he had ever encountered. He reassured his worried wife before heading out, saying he would be fine. But upon arrival, he admitted he briefly thought whether he should have left a will.

Roughly 50 meters (164 feet) of roadway had caved in, entangling soil, shipping containers and steel H-beams. In the face of potential secondary collapses, Nampoong and other search dogs entered the scene wearing vests marked with the Taegeukgi, the Korean flag. Handler Kim Han-seong and search dog Gureum, from the Central Rescue Headquarters' Seoul Metropolitan Unit, left, and handler Na Sang-bo and search dog Pado, from the Central Rescue Headquarters' Chungcheong and Gangwon Unit at the Shinansan Line tunnel collapse site [GYEONGGI NORTHERN SPECIAL RESPONSE TEAM] “The rescue team would clear a path little by little through the collapsed structures, and the dogs would narrow the search by sniffing around,” Jang explained.

Unleashing heroism Search dogs are trained not to identify a person’s specific scent, but to detect “stationary smells” — those that do not move. This allows them to distinguish between lost hikers and bystanders during mountain rescues. In the collapsed tunnel, the narrow entry points made it difficult to pick up the victim’s scent.

Layers of soil and steel blocked any odor from escaping. Compounding the challenge, the confined space increased the chances of dogs mistaking rescuers’ scents for stationary ones. As a result, search dogs were sometimes deployed only after a two-hour wait, giving the rescuers’ scent a chance to disperse.

Fire Lieutenant Jang Taek-yong of the Gyeonggi Northern Special Response Unit and search dog Nampoong conduct a search at the Gwangmyeong Shinansan Line tunnel collapse site. [GYEONGGI NORTHERN SPECIAL RESPONSE TEAM] At around 11 p.m.

on April 15, Nampoong alerted the team with a series of barks, a “notification response” indicating a possible find. Earlier that day, she and other dogs had shown interest near one of three locations rescuers had pinpointed, focusing on an area near a container. As rescuers manually cut through steel and dug with shovels 15 meters underground, the dogs followed closely, noses to the ground.

After digging down about 4 meters, the dogs began reacting again, and 2 meters further in, the missing worker was found. 30,000-times-better sense of smell Currently, 37 human search dogs like Nampoong are active across fire and disaster departments nationwide. The need for such dogs was recognized after the collapse of the Sampoong Department Store in 1995, leading to a program to train search dogs for disaster response.

Fire Lieutenant Jang Taek-yong of the Gyeonggi Northern Special Response Unit trains with search dog Nampoong. [GYEONGGI NORTHERN SPECIAL RESPONSE TEAM] These dogs not only find victims in collapsed structures, but also assist in rescuing people who are drowning and help to locate missing dementia patients. Their sense of smell is said to be about 30,000 times more acute than that of humans.

At 5 years old, Nampoong’s abilities are at her peak. Most search dogs undergo training from birth to age 3 and begin official deployment around age 4. They typically work for 4 to 5 years with a single handler before retiring.

“We practice by having the dog search for a hidden person in a mock debris area, then reward her with her favorite ball,” said Jang, adding that training continues even on quiet days. Nampoong, a 5-year-old female German Shepherd, belongs to the Gyeonggi Northern Special Response Unit. [GYEONGGI NORTHERN SPECIAL RESPONSE TEAM] Jang and Nampoong were first paired in December 2023.

After 16 months together, they now work in perfect sync and are regularly sent to A-grade disaster zones, such as the recent tunnel collapse. “If she could understand,” Jang said, “I’d tell her: ‘You must’ve been scared, but you didn’t give up and saw it through to the end. You’re truly an amazing partner.

’” Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff. BY LEE SU-MIN [ [email protected] ] var admarutag = admarutag || {} admarutag.cmd = admarutag.

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