"Why Didn't You Report Lee Jae-myung's Wife Lee Song?"... Paramedic Called Out for Investigation After Shift

Lee Jae-myung "Please Do Not Criticize Paramedics"

Kim Hye-kyung, wife of candidate Lee Jae-myung, in transit. / Photo by Lee Hae-sik

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] It has been confirmed that the paramedics who were responsible for transporting Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung's wife, Kim Hye-kyung, to the hospital were reprimanded for not reporting the fact that they transported her.

According to the Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters on the 12th, the Bundang Fire Station called back three paramedics, including paramedic A, who transported Kim on the 9th, around noon on the same day after they had left work, and reprimanded them for about 30 minutes for not reporting the situation immediately after the transport.

However, there is no obligation or guideline for paramedics to report to superiors when transporting VIPs.

After this fact became known, netizens criticized the fire station, saying things like, "There is no reporting obligation, so why should they be reprimanded?", "This is unacceptable. Isn't this severe power harassment?", "They should be paid overtime from their own pockets," and "Calling them back three hours later was really too much."

A representative from the Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters stated, "There was a Fire Service Day event on the day of the incident, so the Bundang Fire Station could not interview the paramedics before they left work and called them back around noon after they had left," adding, "The interview lasted about 30 minutes, not several hours as mentioned in online community posts."

He continued, "In cases of VIP transport or when social repercussions are expected, a handover report such as 'this kind of incident occurred' is usually made, but there are no regulations or requirements for this. If any disadvantage was caused to the paramedics, the headquarters will take cautionary measures."

Meanwhile, on the same day (the 12th), candidate Lee posted on his Facebook asking people not to criticize or reprimand the paramedics.

He said, "When 119 arrived at my house, I was dressed and did not reveal who we were until the end, so they had no need to know who I was and probably did not know," adding, "The three young paramedics I saw are excellent public officials, and I am proud that they were public officials in Gyeonggi-do, which I used to lead until recently."

He added, "Please encourage those who performed their duties diligently instead of reprimanding them without knowing the details."

Earlier, Kim, the candidate’s wife, was admitted to a hospital in Bundang, Seongnam City, Gyeonggi-do, around 1 a.m. on the 9th due to a fall accident at home, and the candidate canceled his schedule that day.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.