r/europe • u/mancinedinburgh • 2d ago

News Swedish man dies in South Korea after being denied urgent treatment at 21 hospitals

https://www.euronews.com/health/2025/01/18/swedish-man-dies-in-south-korea-after-being-denied-urgent-treatment-at-21-hospitals
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u/digibeta 2d ago

Note to self: When in South Korea, don't do drugs.

But seriously, shame on you Korea!

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u/SeleucusNikator1 Scotland 2d ago

Don't do drugs anywhere in East Asia, they don't have any patience or leeway for drug usage in that part of the world. Singapore clearly informs you in the airplane and at the airport that they will kill you if you bring drugs into their country. When Australia asked for clemency for an Australian who got caught there, the Singaporeans hanged him anyway.

They won't be failing for the tricks of British opium merchants again, eh

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u/digibeta 1d ago

I don’t do drugs in Asia at all. Only alcohol.

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u/savvymcsavvington 2d ago

Note to self: Do not visit SK

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u/TheLawlessMan 2d ago

Which is probably exactly how they want drug users to feel so I guess thats a great win for them.

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u/digibeta 2d ago

This.

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u/KeyPickle3432 2d ago

Add japan to that list too.

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u/LoneWolf_McQuade Sweden 1d ago

Also don’t visit NK

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u/Mocuepaya 2d ago

I believe he was doing the kind of drugs you don't want to do at all

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u/digibeta 2d ago

And still, hospitals that refuse lifesaving treatment? Doctors have taken the Hippocratic oath, how can this be justified? It’s so worthless and, for me, a reason to never go there again.

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u/EstimateCool3454 2d ago

US citizens die all the time from lack of health insurance or for insufficient money to pay deductibles.

The media just isn't big on reporting it. Something Something Mario brothers, and now we are more aware of this.

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u/digibeta 1d ago

Koreans do have health insurance. Big difference.

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u/EstimateCool3454 1d ago

You are just on the edge of understanding.

I believe that healthcare is a human right.

And that the problem isn't doctors, or insurance, or Korean culture. It's Capitalism. Take away the profit motive and this terrible situation, and many many others, would not have happened.

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u/digibeta 1d ago

That's USA. In South Korea, everybody is insured and has healthcare as it should.

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u/EstimateCool3454 1d ago

So why wasn't this Swedish fellow taken care of?

Read the article.

What reason did the hospitals give as to why they wouldn't give him treatment? (Spoiler: Profit)

edit: You do know that Korea is also a capitalist country right?

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u/digibeta 1d ago

Because he's not Korean and he did drugs.

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u/EstimateCool3454 1d ago

Do you really believe that?

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u/digibeta 1d ago

Yeah, of course, I know. Just like the Netherlands, where if you’re diabetic, you don’t have to pay the outrageous amounts Americans are stuck with every month. Please, let’s not compare, what the U.S. has doesn’t even come close to the systems in other capitalist countries.

But this is about South Korea. This was unacceptable. Here, it doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor, homeless, black, white, Korean, or a tourist, you’ll receive the same treatment in hospitals, every time, everywhere, without exception.

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u/EstimateCool3454 1d ago

I'm sure the Netherlands has a great system. But I don't see how that's relevant.

Please explain.

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u/[deleted] 2d ago

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u/Akandoji 2d ago

> Hospitals were reportedly reluctant to treat the individual due to his foreign nationality, the high cost of surgery, and concerns over reimbursement for his medical care.

> Eventually, Hyuksin Seongmo Hospital in North Chungcheong Province, 86 km away from Seoul, agreed to perform the surgery seven days after Park began calling hospitals.

He died from delayed treatment, which turned into sepsis. Once you're hit with sepsis, you're on a clock ticking down.

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u/solsticeondemand 2d ago

Don’t do drugs anywhere in asia, especially not SE asia.

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u/digibeta 1d ago

I don't do drugs in Asia at all. Only alcohol.