Questions raised over preferential treatment for stabbed opposition leader

Rep. Lee Jae-myung, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, is transferred to Seoul National University Hospital after being airlifted by helicopter from Busan on Tuesday following a knife attack in the port city. Yonhap

Several doctors have raised questions about possible preferential treatment in airlifting Lee Jae-myung, the chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) who was stabbed in the neck, Tuesday, from Busan to Seoul.

The doctors said mobilization of the rescue helicopter was too much, considering the extent of Lee’s injury and the fact that Pusan National University Hospital, to which Lee was transferred right after the attack, was capable of performing the surgery.

They claimed that the only reason for Lee to be airlifted to Seoul National University Hospital was due to the request of his family who apparently believed treatment in the capital would be better than that of Busan, Korea's second-largest city, located in the southeast of the country.

The doctors cited a briefing held by DPK lawmaker Jung Chung-rae who said just before Lee was airlifted, “The neck is a sensitive part, thus Lee should undergo the surgery at the hands of competent surgeons. This is what his family wants.”

Yeo Han-sol who is in charge of emergency medicine at Sokcho Medical Center located in Gangwon Province said violence should never be tolerated, but questions remained over the preferential treatment afforded to Lee.

“Although Pusan National University Hospital where Lee was transferred to first was capable of performing the surgery, Lee was transferred to Seoul only for personal reasons, and the rescue helicopter was mobilized,” Yeo wrote on Facebook.

“I want to ask whether such a helicopter can be mobilized upon the request of an ordinary citizen under the same circumstances.”

Lee was stabbed on the left side of his neck by a 67-year-old man surnamed Kim, who posed as an autograph hunter, on Tuesday morning after touring the construction site of a new airport on Busan’s Gadeok Island.

Lee was promptly transported to Pusan National University Hospital while conscious and underwent emergency treatment for non-life threatening injuries — a laceration of approximately 1 centimeter on his neck — according to fire authorities at the time.

He was then airlifted by helicopter to Seoul National University Hospital for surgery, as there were “concerns about potential massive bleeding around his jugular vein,” according to party members.

What intensified the controversies was Lee’s previous remarks that highlighted the importance of reviving medical capabilities in regions where public access to medical services has faced a crisis.

“Lee has raised the need to nurture and support medical resources in regions, but he was rushed to the Seoul hospital as he was injured. This was absurd,” Yeo said.

Lee Gyeong-won, a professor of emergency medicine at Severance Hospital in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, also said that a large portion of the national budget has been thrown into the development of emergency medical systems in the regions, but Lee himself denied and ruined that by being transferring to Seoul.

“And now, who would trust regional hospitals and their medical capabilities,” he said.

Amid the growing controversies, Pusan National University Hospital and fire authorities in the region said the rescue helicopter was mobilized based on medical judgment and legal examination.

Vascular surgeon Min Seung-kee, who performed the surgery for main opposition Democratic Party of Korea Chairman Rep. Lee Jae-myung, speaks during a media briefing at Seoul National University Hospital, Thursday, explaining the progress of the patient after the surgery. Yonhap

Meanwhile, vascular surgeon Min Seung-kee at Seoul National University Hospital, who performed the surgery for Lee, said on Thursday that Lee was transferred to the general ward from the intensive care unit on Wednesday, a day after the one-hour and 40-minute surgery.

“Lee sustained a 1.4 centimeters-wide knife wound on the left side of his neck. About 60 percent of his internal jugular vein was cut, and there were blood clots,” Min said during a media briefing.

“Lee needed a revascularization procedure that has a high level of difficulty. The surgery by a well-experienced surgeon was surely necessary.”

Police later revealed that the attacker, Kim, who was immediately overpowered and detained at the scene, had confessed that he intended to kill Lee and that he had plotted his attack alone. However, his motive remains unknown.

A district court in Busan issued a warrant for Kim's arrest later on Thursday, saying there is a risk that he may flee.