South Korean officer recounts fight to save Swedish man who died after 21 hospital refusals
‘Watching him pass away due to a lack of systemic support has left me deeply troubled,’ sergeant Park Ah-ron says
A 64-year-old Swedish national died last month despite tireless efforts by South Korean authorities and organisations to provide medical help, highlighting gaps in welfare support for foreign nationals in the country.
On December 9, the Swedish embassy in South Korea called the 112 police hotline, requesting protection for the Swedish national, who was suffering from mental health issues. Police officers from the Seoul station branch under Namdaemun police station found the Swedish national’s circumstances dire.
Having arrived in South Korea in April last year on visa-free entry, the man had been indicted for drug possession and placed under a travel ban. While acquitted in the first trial due to mental illness and lack of intent, his case was under appeal.
More urgently, the Swedish national was suffering from severe gangrene in his left leg, which required immediate amputation to save his life. Without surgery, his condition was life-threatening. However, finding a hospital willing to perform the surgery proved to be an uphill battle.
Sergeant Park Ah-ron, South Korea’s only police officer dedicated to assisting the unhoused, took charge of the case. Park contacted 21 hospitals in the Seoul metropolitan area but was met with refusals. Hospitals cited the 64-year-old’s foreign nationality and the high cost of surgery as reasons for rejection.
Efforts to reach his sister in Sweden were also unsuccessful, as she declined to cover the medical expenses.
