Comedian Kim Soo-yong, back from cardiac arrest: “Don’t think someone else will do it—I’ll go first”

[Financial News] Comedian Kim Soo-yong, who collapsed from cardiac arrest and survived thanks to CPR from people nearby, urged others, “Don’t hesitate—please be the first to act.” The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency will run a month-long campaign featuring Kim, “Four Minutes That Make Your Heart Beat,” starting on the 16th.
Launched to mark World Restart a Heart Day, the campaign highlights the importance of the four-minute golden window after cardiac arrest and the role of CPR in restarting a stopped heart.
Kim said, “I was able to live again because someone acted without hesitation,” adding, “When you find someone in cardiac arrest, I want to convey how important it is to act by thinking ‘I’ll go first’ rather than ‘Someone else will do it.’”

According to the KDCA’s first-half 2025 survey of acute cardiac arrests, bystander CPR was performed in 32.9% of cases (4,500), up 2.7 percentage points from the same period the previous year (30.2%), but the rate remains low. When bystanders performed CPR, the patients’ survival rate was 15.3% and their rate of neurological recovery was 11.5%. These figures were about 2.7 and 3.5 times higher, respectively, than when CPR was not performed (5.6% and 3.3%).


CPR is an important first-aid measure that increases the chances of survival for people in cardiac arrest. But fear and hesitation at the scene often delay the initial response.

The campaign video will be released on the 16th on the KDCA’s YouTube channel, Apeujima TV. It shows the urgency of a cardiac arrest and the hesitation of people nearby, and uses Kim’s personal experience to convey the importance of prompt CPR.
In street interviews, the campaign explores why people hesitate to perform CPR and encourages them to act by asking, “What if the person who collapsed were someone in your family?” It will also run a “CPR Pledge Challenge,” in which participants vow to act first in a cardiac arrest emergency, and a “Four-Minute Miracle” relay featuring influencers from various fields.
Educational videos will explain how to perform CPR and what precautions to take for different groups, including women and infants and young children, based on the CPR guidelines revised in 2025. In a program produced with broadcasters, participants will visit areas with low bystander CPR rates, run together and complete missions such as performing CPR and finding an automated external defibrillator (AED).
KDCA Commissioner Lim Seung-gwan said, “To save the life of someone in cardiac arrest, prompt action by people at the scene is more important than anything else.” He urged the public, “Since cardiac arrest can happen anytime, anywhere, learn how to perform CPR in advance and don’t hesitate to act in an emergency.”
 


[email protected] Jung Myeong-jin, medical correspondent Reporter