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| A truck sprays disinfectant amid the COVID-19 outbreak in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam, June 1. Reuters-Yonhap |
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.
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