Search underway for missing person after report from Incheon Bridge

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Search underway for missing person after report from Incheon Bridge

Published: 22 Sep. 2025, 09:45

Incheon Bridge [YONHAP]

A search is underway after a report was filed that a person may have fallen from Incheon Bridge, where a parked vehicle was found nearby with no driver in sight.

The report was received by the Korea Coast Guard on Monday at around 4:40 a.m. from the Incheon Bridge control center that “someone appears to have fallen” from the section of the bridge facing Songdo International City.

Upon arriving at the scene, authorities found a car parked near one of the bridge’s main towers. The Coast Guard and fire department deployed patrol boats and coastal rescue units to search the surrounding waters, suspecting the driver may have jumped into the sea.

“The identity of the missing driver has not yet been confirmed,” a Coast Guard official said. “We plan to continue the search while also investigating the specific circumstances surrounding the case.”

Incheon Bridge has seen a string of suicide incidents involving drivers leaving their cars on the shoulder before jumping off. Since its opening in 2009, a total of 79 people have died by suicide from the bridge.

In November 2022, the Incheon Bridge Corporation installed 1,500 plastic barrels along the shoulder to prevent vehicles from stopping. However, concerns were raised about the need to keep the shoulder accessible for emergency situations. All of the barrels were removed last month following consultations with relevant agencies.

Despite the removal of these barriers, plans to install fall-prevention infrastructure — considered a fundamental countermeasure — have seen little progress for nearly two years.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JEONG HYE-JEONG [[email protected]]