70-year-old Korean woman rescued after trapped on balcony for 18 hours

By Phan Anh April 16, 2025 | 06:37 pm PT

A string of clothes hanging out on an apartment balcony in Seoul, South Korea, made by a trapped woman to signal for help. Photo courtesy of South Korean police

A woman in her 70s was rescued after spending 18 hours trapped on her apartment balcony in Seoul, using a string of clothes to signal for help.

According to officers from the Seoul Jongno Police Station, the incident occurred on April 9 when the woman, who lives alone, stepped onto her balcony to water plants. The balcony door unexpectedly locked behind her, leaving her stranded outside with no way to return indoors, Korea JoongAng Daily reported.

Unable to get neighbors' attention due to street noise and increasingly cold weather, the woman devised an improvised signal by tying several pieces of clothing together and lowering them over the balcony railing.

Her unusual distress signal caught the attention of local police officers, who successfully rescued her from the balcony on April 10. The rescue details were officially released on April 15, according to The Straits Times.