The Man Behind The Meme in South Korea
On August 8, 2022, Seoul capital of South Korea experienced non-stop heavy rainfall, flooding homes and roads and causing traffic in several parts of the city.
Seoulites took to Twitter to give updates about the current situation in their areas. Many shared photos and videos of cars half-submerged in flooded roads and parking areas. As well as water cascading down the stairs of subway stations in Gangnam. While thousands share the cause of the inclement weather, this specific photo became a meme in a few seconds.
올해의 퓰리쳐상 후보…ㅠㅠ pic.twitter.com/HCo8E3o8BZ
— _발렌 (@_Valentino) August 8, 2022
The man is seen sitting on top of the windshield of his Hyundai sedan car. Netizens started uploading pictures from different angles and the man’s probably POV.
https://twitter.com/carryurlife2/status/1556635274695716864?s=20&t=wySS45RjRP8bsC3FMSFVqw
In an instant, the picture became a meme with the edits made by the Koreans. Some edits were depicted from a disaster film. Others thought that it would be an effective ad for Hyundai’s sedan, Genesis.
The man in the viral photo turned out to be a reporter from a news agency, Yonhap News, named, Park Sang Ryul, who continued reporting about the weather despite his life-threatening situation. It was seen that he was able to publish an article an hour before the flooding in Seoul worsened.
.@YonhapNews reporter Park Sang-ryul chilling on top of his Genesis G80 during tonight’s flood in Seoul. pic.twitter.com/nHc2V44g3i
— Anton Hur (@AntonHur) August 8, 2022
— Anton Hur (@AntonHur) August 8, 2022
What a dedication! Salute to Mr. Park Sang Ryul.
