South Korean citizen delays ambulance for shower sparks outrage

A South Korean citizen‘s request for an ambulance to arrive 30 minutes later because he wanted to shower first sparked widespread criticism.

The man later complained that the paramedic who attended to him was unfriendly, leading to disciplinary action against the medic.

According to the Chosun newspaper, a large number of employees from Incheon’s Fire Department and the National Public Service Workers Union staged a protest outside Incheon City Hall on the afternoon of November 20. They were infuriated by the citizen’s actions, which they deemed disrespectful and ungrateful.

The Union reported that on August 7, a citizen (referred to as A) called the 119 emergency department requesting an ambulance since he was suffering from a fever and a runny nose. However, he asked them to arrive after 30 minutes as he wanted to bathe first.

In response, a paramedic in his thirties (referred to as B), with seven years of experience in the industry, was dispatched alone with an ambulance to pick A up at the requested time. But upon arrival, A asked B to wait longer as he was still showering. It took an additional eight to nine minutes for A to leave his house and get on the ambulance.

On the way, B warned A not to misuse the ambulance services in the future as it could delay assistance to others genuinely in need during emergencies.

Unexpected backlash

Unexpectedly, A lodged a complaint against B at the centre, claiming that B was unfriendly and made him feel embarrassed. As a result, B was reprimanded on August 28 and was not allowed to receive work awards for a year. Despite this, A continued to complain, which led to B seeking treatment at a hospital due to stress, reported Sanook.

Following the widespread awareness of the incident, firefighters from the National Public Service Workers Union were outraged and demanded the Incheon Fire Department immediately withdraw the disciplinary action against B. They argued that this was not an appropriate way to treat a dedicated employee.

This is not the first incident involving protestors or critics in South Korea. On September 4, between 10,000 to 20,000 teachers took to the streets across the country. They demanded amendments to the Child Protection Law, allowing teachers to discipline delinquent students without fear of parents filing child abuse complaints.