Hong Joon-pyo: "If you're the opposition leader, you're at the prime minister level... You can take a helicopter to Seoul"
"There is nothing more shameless than courting controversy over special treatment"
Hong Jun-pyo, Mayor of Daegu, strongly criticized the controversy over 'special treatment' regarding the transfer of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, from Busan National University Hospital to Seoul National University Hospital after being stabbed, calling it "childish."
On the 5th, Mayor Hong stated in a post on Facebook, "I understand that the leader of the main opposition party ranks eighth in the national protocol order, equivalent to the prime minister level."
He argued, "If such a person was stabbed with a weapon, it is a matter where the wishes of the individual and their family should be respected, including the option to transfer to Seoul by helicopter." Regarding claims that Lee ignored the regional medical system by being transferred to Seoul National University Hospital instead of the nearby Busan National University Hospital, he called it "an absurd argument."
Mayor Hong questioned, "If you go to the bus stop at Suseo Station in Seoul today, people from all over the country take the SRT to get to Samsung Hospital and crowd to catch the shuttle bus. Why is that not criticized?" He added, "We should first think about raising the level of regional medical care to match the public's awareness. Increasing the number of medical students is urgent, but isn't it more urgent to raise the level of regional medical care to a level that the public trusts, comparable to the metropolitan area? It is truly unfortunate that human lives have become a subject of political strife."
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Lee was treated for emergency care at Busan National University Hospital immediately after the stabbing on the 2nd, then was airlifted by helicopter to Seoul National University Hospital for surgery. Lee sustained a roughly 1.5 cm laceration on his neck, but it was reported that his life was not in danger. However, damage to the internal jugular vein was confirmed, and he underwent thrombectomy and vascular reconstruction surgery lasting about two hours.
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