A Busan police officer has been dubbed "South Korea's own John McClane" after he mimicked the protagonist in the "Die Hard" movies with his heroic, crime-busting antics.
Kim Hyun-cheol, a 33-year-old traffic cop, was hailed a hero after he clung on to the windshield of a fleeing suspect's car for 25 minutes to prevent him from escaping last month, CNN reports.
His daredevil heroics have earned Kim many fans in his native South Korea after a video documenting the stunt went viral.
According to Korea Joongang Daily, Kim had initially stopped the suspect after he saw him making an illegal U-turn in downtown Busan. However, while Kim was writing up a traffic ticket, the man -- who was only identified by his first name Jeong -- stepped on the gas and began to speed off. For the next 25 minutes, the man sped through the streets with the police officer hanging on to the car, his feet lodged at the base of the windshield.
“He looked as if he was afraid of something,” Kim said later, according to Korea Joongang Daily. “He only opened his window an inch.”
Finally, the man was forced to stop the car due to traffic and he was arrested while attempting to run away.
“I hung on the car persistently because I suspected that he was a criminal,” Kim told Korea Joongang Daily. “For the first 10 minutes, I thought I was going to die. But I hung on…because I really wanted to arrest this guy.”
It soon emerged that Jeong had been on a wanted list for drug-related crimes. According to news website Goldsea.com, Jeong was detained by police and will likely face "new charges of resisting arrest, reckless driving and deadly assault on a police officer, among other charges."
As for Kim, police said he sustained bruises on his chest and legs and will need about three weeks to recover fully, Korea Joongang Daily writes. Police also said that Kim holds many martial arts certificates, including one in Taekwondo.
CNN reports that Kim has since been promoted.
Watch the video of Jeong's arrest here: