"The Screaming Wouldn’t Stop" — The Harrowing Story Of A Little Girl's Survival

A 26-year-old Korean woman, surnamed Kang, was getting ready to leave her apartment in Incheon, Korea, when she heard a cry for help outside her door.

Kang recalled, “I thought I heard someone cry for help.” She ran to her home intercom, where her video doorbell showed the view outside her door. When she didn’t see anyone in the camera angle…

A typical video doorbell intercom system installed in a South Korean apartment. | *Samsung SmartOne/Naver Blog*

… Kang first called the police. Then she opened her front door to get a better understanding of the situation outside.

I was terrified by the sound, but the screaming wouldn’t stop… and it sounded like a child.

— Kang

When Kang poked her head out, she found a man with a weapon physically threatening a young girl on the stairway that led up to the building’s rooftop.

The girl, an elementary school student who lived in the same apartment complex, ran into Kang’s home as soon as the door opened. According to Kang, “The girl’s clothes had been ripped in parts from the physical fight.”

I noticed her hand was bleeding, so I cleaned it up and watched her wound until the ambulance came. The medics took her to get the cut stitched. She was absolutely terrified and couldn’t stop crying.

— Kang

The man, having been caught in action, proceeded to throw himself out a window, presumably to evade capture.

The man who was with the girl made eye contact with me… and then immediately sprung himself out the window. He had glasses on and looked quite young. I was surprised when I found out later that he was in his early-20s.

— Kang

Having fallen from the 15th floor, the 21-year-old man was taken to the hospital, where he later died from a serious head injury.

The apartment complex where the incident took place. | *Yonhap News*

Though attack, which occurred on October 15, 2020, caused the girl both physical and psychological distress, if Kang had not intervened, this story could have ended in tragedy. Koreans praised Kang for her selfless act of courage…