Jun Ji-hye, a reporter at the finance desk of The Korea Times, focuses primarily on economic policy and government agencies, mainly covering the Ministry of Finance and Economy, the Ministry of Budget and Planning, the National Tax Service and the Korea Customs Service. She previously covered financial authorities, including the Financial Services Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service, and earlier worked on the political, city and business desks, reporting on a wide range of issues.
Vietnamese hospital cremates body of Korean virus patient without notice
A truck sprays disinfectant amid the COVID-19 outbreak in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam, June 1. Reuters-Yonhap
By Jun Ji-hye
By Jun Ji-hye
A hospital in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam, has cremated the body of a Korean national who died from COVID-19 there, without giving prior notice to the bereaved family members in Korea, provoking protests from them and the Korean Consulate General in the city.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sunday, a Korean man in his 50s died in the hospital after undergoing medical treatment for about 10 days following him testing positive for the virus in early July.
The hospital cremated his body in accordance with the country's antivirus regulations that require the bodies of COVID-19 patients to be cremated within 24 hours after their deaths.
A problem was raised as the hospital did not give prior notice to either the bereaved family or the Korean Consulate General, and unilaterally cremated the body.
The man had lived in Ho Chi Minh alone, while his family remained in Korea.
“When the Korean Consulate General asked the hospital about the condition of the Korean man, the hospital belatedly notified it that he had died and his body had been cremated,” an official from the foreign ministry said.
The Korean Consulate General notified the bereaved family of the man's death and issued a strong protest over the hospital's unilateral action, according to the ministry.
The hospital acknowledged there had been procedural problems amid the soaring number of COVID-19 patients in a serious condition and deaths in the country, the ministry said, noting that the hospital had apologized and vowed to prevent recurrence.
The Korean Consulate General also asked the foreign affairs and health ministries in Ho Chi Minh for their cooperation.