Controversy Over Police Refusal to Escort Pregnant Wife Through Traffic Jam

Requested Police Help for Traffic Jam
"Not Our Jurisdiction," "Call 119" Denied
Netizens: "Ignoring Citizens" vs "Not Worth Criticism"

A husband in Busan who was taking his wife, who was about to give birth, to the hospital in his car requested help from the police twice but was ignored with the excuse that it was "not their jurisdiction," sparking controversy.

According to the police on the 23rd, husband Mr. A took his full-term wife, who showed signs of labor, in his car on the 11th from Gangseo-gu, Busan, heading to the obstetrics clinic in Haeundae-gu where his wife usually went.

A husband who was taking his wife, who was about to give birth, to the hospital requested help from the police twice but was refused, sparking controversy. The photo is not directly related to the article.

However, when traffic congestion seemed imminent, Mr. A, in a hurry, stopped his car and ran to a police patrol car that was parked nearby to ask for help. The police refused, saying that the obstetrics clinic, about 20 km away, was outside their jurisdiction. Mr. A then returned to his car and took the wheel again, but his wife's pain worsened.

[Photo by SBS]

Mr. A called 112 and requested help from the police a second time. The response he received was, "Have you tried calling 119? Please get help from 119." Meanwhile, the road began to congest, and his wife groaned in pain, barely able to speak. With no other choice, Mr. A continued driving until he spotted a police officer conducting a cut-in violation check on Gwangandaegyo Bridge and requested help for the third time.

Only then were Mr. A and his wife escorted by the police to the obstetrics clinic. A police officer at the scene told SBS, "I saw the pregnant woman biting something like a gag and her face was pale. I thought we had to transport her to the hospital immediately."

Fortunately, Mr. A's wife gave birth safely. However, it was reported that if they had been any later, the fetus's life could have been in danger. Mr. A said, "According to the doctor, if we had been a little later, the umbilical cord could have wrapped around the baby's neck or the baby could have bitten the umbilical cord, causing serious complications like intestinal obstruction. They said it was fortunate we arrived quickly."

The police station that had initially refused escort reportedly apologized to Mr. A and his wife, saying, "The frontline officers made a wrong judgment about the situation."

The incident sparked debate among netizens. Some criticized the police response, saying, "How desperate must they have been to ask the police for help," and "They should not have ignored a citizen's request for help at a moment when a baby might be born."

On the other hand, some argued, "It is the principle that police should not operate outside their jurisdiction," "This is more a matter of flexibility than outright criticism," and "Since it was a distance from one end of Busan to the other, calling 119 from the start would have been the right choice."

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