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"Die Hard" traffic cop hailed in South Korea

South Korean traffic cop Kim Hyun-cheol, left, shakes hands with a commissioner of the Busan Police Agency during his special promotion ceremony in Busan, South Korea, Aug. 31, 2012, in this photo released by the Busan Police Agency.
South Korean traffic cop Kim Hyun-cheol, left, shakes hands with a commissioner of the Busan Police Agency during his special promotion ceremony in Busan, South Korea, Aug. 31, 2012, in this photo released by the Busan Police Agency. AP Photo/Busan Police Agency

(AP) SEOUL, South Korea - A South Korean traffic cop who arrested a drug suspect after clinging to his car for 25 minutes has gotten a promotion and is being called the "Die Hard policeman" by local media.

Police say Kim Hyun-cheol initially stopped the suspect's car in the city of Busan because it made an illegal U-turn on Aug. 26. When the suspect sped off, Kim clung to the windshield and roof of the car.

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The suspect eventually stopped and was arrested after a foot chase. Officials say the man was later found to be on a wanted list for drug-related crimes.

Kim has since been promoted to assistant inspector. His nickname refers to the heroic acts of actor Bruce Willis' police character John McClane in the hit "Die Hard" movie series.

His wild ride rivaled that of a Vietnamese police officer, who chose to cling to the windshield wipers of a moving bus for about half a mile after the rogue driver tried to avoid a ticket in April.

Traffic police 2nd Lt. Nguyen Manh Phan ordered the bus driver to pull over the 39-seat passenger coach April 9, said a police officer in Ba Vi District outside Hanoi.

(Watch at left)

Traffic stop leads to wild ride for Vietnam cop

The driver allegedly refused to show his paperwork and drove off -- but not before Phan leaped onto the front, he added. The officer said the bus reached a top speed of about 31 mph.

A YouTube video shows the officer trying to get his footing and dangling precariously from the moving bus as oncoming traffic whizzes past. Phan can be heard yelling, "Call the police!"

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