South Korea is facing an escalating emergency care crisis after an 18-year-old student died in Busan. The emergency care crisis has ignited widespread anger and underscored major gaps in the nation’s medical response system.
Emergency call logs released by Rep. Yang Bu-nam show paramedics contacted 14 hospitals before securing a bed. Four large hospitals in Busan declined the patient first, citing missing pediatric neurological services or restrictions on treating minors in cardiac arrest. Eight additional hospitals in Busan and nearby regions refused admission soon afterward.
The student spent nearly an hour in the ambulance without access to urgent treatment. The patient went into cardiac arrest shortly before the fifteenth hospital finally agreed to take admission. Medical staff attempted resuscitation immediately, but the student was pronounced dead on arrival.
Pediatric classification in South Korea covers patients up to age 18, limiting emergency access for young adults. Medical organizations warn that shortages of pediatric and critical-care specialists continue to delay essential treatment. They argue that fragmented hospital acceptance procedures pose growing risks to children and teenagers during medical emergencies.
Earlier this month, the Cabinet approved revisions to the Emergency Medical Services Act. The change gives paramedics greater authority in deciding where to transport patients and places responsibility on regional dispatch centers. Officials say the amendment will reduce confusion and shorten response times for life-threatening emergencies.
However, emergency physicians strongly protest the change and say it could overload emergency rooms. They warn that ambulances may line up outside facilities without available treatment capacity. They add that patients could be sent to nearby hospitals that lack critical cardiac or neurological intervention services.
Leading healthcare associations insist that legislation alone will not fix staffing shortages or resource gaps. They are calling for higher investment in pediatric intensive-care units, better pay for emergency specialists, and long-term workforce expansion. Pressure on lawmakers continues to increase as the emergency care crisis exposes structural weaknesses in South Korea’s healthcare system.
