Service staff at Incheon International Airport yesterday essentially killed a 48-year-old American man who’d collapsed in the airport’s baggage terminal when they prevented emergency rescue personnel dispatched from the airport fire station from entering the arrival concourse.
A witness said emergency personnel tried to enter the arrival concourse to assist the man, who’d stopped breathing, but were blocked by staff who told them they could not. A scuffle ensued for over five minutes, after which emergency staff entered through another way. Unfortunately, by the time they reached the American, he was already dead.
Airport service staff, meanwhile, blamed the rescue personnel for not properly explaining the situation at hand. The airport itself also blamed the rescue personnel.
{ 54 comments… read them below or add one }
Umm, hate to state the obvious, but that’s fucking ridiculous. The airport blamed the rescue personnel who had been blocked from treating someone who had STOPPED BREATHING, for not having explained themselves properly?
Like what needs to be explained? “You called us. We came. We’re wearing brightly-colored EMS clothing and have EMS gear.”
WTF needs to be explained?
Perhaps I’m missing something?
By the way, I failed to mention that my parents returned from a trip to Japan today, so this kind of jolted me even more.
I still remember on a trip to China, because the line had become so godawful long and they had like one check-in line open, it literally took like 2 hours to get to the front of the line, then was looking like about that long of a wait through security. Since I had arrived my obligatory 2.5 hours early, I thought it pretty ridiculous that I was about to miss my flight.
So I told the security guy that I was about to miss my flight, but he was so afraid to let me jump the line, he had to get on the radio to his supervisor, asked a million people, hemmed and hawed – so I just started yelling at him in Korean and shouted that I was on a plane that was about to leave, I was gonna sue them, him, everyone – just causing a big embarassing moment. He finally relented, and after sprinting down the terminal way, I just barely made it – they had already closed the door, but the walkway was still attached.
Anyway, “rules are rules” unless you pull rank, cause a scene, or are otherwise special. I had to make the embarrassment/irritation caused by me greater than the fear of getting yelled at by his supervisor. Unfortunately, that’s the best way to get things done here, even when common sense says otherwise. Rules are meant to be followed when they make sense – not just because they’re there.
I can’t even believe that blame is being passed onto the EMS personnel. I wonder if people would be more angry if this person were Korean, rather than just some 미국놈.
I think what you were trying to say there, metro, is that “the squeaky wheel gets the grease.” or, perhaps it was “nice guys finish last”?
Which people are you referring to? At least the media covered the incident, and I hope they’ll follow up and not just forget about the story. I have no reason to think that people who witnessed the event or hear about it will feel less upset because the man was American.
I don’t know. I wonder what the reaction would be had the person been Korean in LAX? No difference in coverage at all?
The closest comparison I can think of is the case of the Korean couple who drowned in the Trinity River last summer. They took a wrong turn and ended up in the swollen river. As the car began to sink, the husband frantically called 911 but wasn’t able to communicate clearly his situation, and the phone kept cutting off. The man thought that the dispatcher had hung up on him, so he phoned an acquaintance, who also didn’t comprehend the situation fully. The name given in the US news reports was Korean, so presumably the conversation took place in Korean, and the man was so distraught that he couldn’t even communicate clearly in his own language.
I first heard of the story in the Korean media, which reported that the dispatcher had hung up on the man. I was shocked and googled US media reports to verify what really happened. In any case, the Korean media reports of the dispatcher hanging up on the man didn’t arouse any anger. To the contrary, blame was placed on the man’s lack of fluency in English as he and his wife were immigrants who had lived in the US for many years.
As you’re probably aware, the recent death in custody of a NYC woman is getting lots of press, a very public investigation, and the threat of a lawsuit. I hope Incheon Airport, whose doors are painted with the slogan “The World Airport Hub,” doesn’t sweep this under the carpet.
One difference between this case and any similar case in America is the quantum of damages. Here in Korea, the outrageous negligence of the airport personnel is not punishable — and, therefore, deterrable — by civil damages.
Well, not to say that the American system is better, right? People over there have paid damages for having the smallest possible amount of responsibility for an injury. Someone slips on ice on your property, you get sued, right? (and you can forget about the fact that the person should not have been walking on ice in the first place if they didn’t know how to do it properly or didn’t have good winter footwear). The US is one extreme, Korea is the other.
Strikes me that the communication amongst the airport service personnel isn’t very effective. There’s an emergency in the airport and a team (responsible for the security of it) doesn’t know about it? M’kay. In the future I’d expect the rescue team to remember to bring their name cards so that proper introductions will be made.
Have to say Sonagi’s comparison isn’t very comparative, unless of course the rescue personnel responding to the incident at the airport didn’t speak Korean.
How often do persons collapse in arrivals? How often are EMS personnel called in to provide medical attention? If the answer is that these are regular occurrences, then the pattern should be clear, but if the situation is rare (as I suspect), then the airport personnel should be trained in how to handle it. EMS personnel should not have to know what will be required to get through every security stop in every location at every public or private facility in order to do their job.
In this situation, armed men prevented them from entering to do their job. That the guards detained them suggests that they did not know about the problem, and that suggests a communication flaw in their organization. For security’s sake, persons in EMS uniforms should be detained unless authorised to enter, but that authorization should come through the airport security, and and not from those wanting to get in.
The EMS crew appear to have done their job. The airport security apparently haven’t been properly trained in how to do theirs — hence, the finger-pointing by the folks at IIA.
Another way in which Korea is lacking is the legal status of AED (automated external defibrillators). The devices are cheap (1000 bucks on Amazon.com), safe (they will not discharge unless they detect a weak heart rate that will benefit from being shocked) and proven effective.
Who’s blocking their legal use in Korea – in AMBULANCES no less? Doctors. Doctors don’t want them in the hands of non-doctors. Doesn’t make sense to me, as wouldn’t doctors benefit more from patients arriving at the hospital alive?
Hmmmnn… I do know from one long night at SNU emergency that a lot of DOAs do get dumped off at the hospital — with family members arriving and weeping and wailing all night… Do the docs get a cut off that somehow?
Every hotel, casino, convention center, train, airplane, airport and ambulance should have one — particularly places that want to attract wealthy tourists.
#5– You stole my thunder. That is exactly what I was going to post, with the added query, how long would the protests outside the US Embassy last, and how many times would George Bush have to apologise?
Can’t squeeze much money from of the dead. Don’t see how doctors stand to benefit by opposing AED’s unless they also sell the mops used to wipe the tears from the floor.
Call me a cynic but I’m pointing a finger at the national health scheme. And funeral directors.
Saw this on the news yesterday night. The incident has stupidity written all over.
My condolences to the relatives of the deceased.
A very unfortunate incident.
Without much details however, it would be hasty to put blame on either parties. Was the airport personnel too strict on the security protocol? Or did the EMS personnel fail properly identify himself?
You can’t unilaterally blame the airport personnel, because handling security is a lot of responsibility and sticking to protocols is important. Who knows if some terrorists disguised as EMS personnel, or a law enforcement officer or a firefighter, wouldn’t attempt the same method of entry to bypass some security barriers?
One thing for certain is that there is a clear flaw in the emergency response system. Hopefully, the Incheon Airport management will use this as an opportunity to improve it rather than being busy trying to keep this under wraps.
The Chosun is reporting that he was Turkish rather than American – not that this makes this situation any less unfortunate.
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200710/200710090012.html
The situation is different, as I acknowledged, but the Korean media reporting that the dispatcher hung up on the man made the dispatcher look unprofessional. Likewise, there are allegations that airport security personnel acted inappropriately.
One more thing I want to point out. Actually my wife pointed it out last night. The Incheon Airport has a medical facility at the basement of the terminal, one of its responsiblities being the treatment of emergency medical cases that occur inside the passenger terminal, wouldn’t it have been better to call them instead of 119 personnel from the airport fire station?
I don’t know about internal security procedures in the airport, but some of the medical personnel may have passes to enter the restricted areas of the airport. And from the above, it looked like the EMS personnel didn’t have those passes. Another oversight by the airport authorities.
Another case of poor planning and failure to think ahead – looks like a weakness in the Korean management model.
Oh sweet Jeebus, make the sparkle stop!
RE: #16: “A foreigner died after collapsing in the arrivals area at Incheon International Airport on Monday because emergency treatment was late.” –the first line in the article linked above from The Chosun.
Having been in Korea for nearly a decade, I realise I should be used to this and that it’s just the way it is here–and I also realise that this is somewhat off-topic and gives the appearance of just random whingeing–but am I the only one who gets hacked off when the media immediately has to reference that it was a foreigner who died?
Why can’t that sentence above start with, “A man died after collapsing…” or, “A 48-year-old man died…” or something of that nature? I still get irked, even after all these years and even though I know the mindset behind the choice of words, when the media immediately distinguishes that the subject in question is a foreigner.
Regardless of my pettiness, the entire situation is very lamentable. My condolences, too, go out to the family of that man.
It’s a bit daunting, isn’t it, to know that having a dire medical emergency in such a public and international place, a place where one might rightfully feel safe thinking that (s)he’ll be well taken care of in any case of like emergency, could result not only in one’s death, but also in a bevy of finger-pointing as to who is to blame, so much so that the victim becomes a mere afterthought?
Looking forward to hitting IIA for my trip abroad next week now, for sure…
@ mins0306
that was my first reaction as well. Every airport has a stand-by emergency medical team (or, at least all the legitimate ones do… I’m just going to include Incheon in this category), so why did an external team got there before the on-site team?
Details are still muddy, so placing blame is waaay too early. But if the detail is as it stands, looks like the on-site team dropped the ball first on this one.
@ dissidentdave
That was my second reaction, not the “Ugh, why can’t they not let go of the foreign thing” but “Ugh, someone is going to say why can’t they not say ‘foreigner’”. Honestly… how long has it been since the 외국인 population hit the million mark (%2 of the population)? The idea of a multicultural, multinational country is still new (if we are assuming Korea has accepted the idea), but of course, Korea should just suck it up and change its mindset in a heartbeat (which apparently is even theoretically possible) because, apparently, it’s irking.
Speaking of IIA, I noticed yesterday that the illegal taxis are back in force. I had to fend off a couple of them, and they were quite insistent. Had to ask the second one whether I really needed to call a cop…
I would think the emergency personnel are Koreans,fluent and such.How many active terrorists in country match that description? Why would they wait until a person collapses to try something funny? I think there’s more to it than lack of communication. Face maybe? Some stupid need to feel powerful.
I sympathize with the family of the deceased, but the rules are the rules. As cydevil astutely pointed out in #15, the EMS personnel could have been terrorists disguised as EMS personnel. We all must do our utmost to outwit those tricky terrorists. And we must, no matter what, always obey the rules.
I’m sorry the guy died, but the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.
The security personnel may not have been alerted of the problem and they may not have known that someone needed urgent medical help. No facts have come out yet, but it would not make sense that they would cold heartedly block the rescue effort because he was an American foreigner. So they wanted him dead as an act of Anti Americanism and racism. After I saw this thread headline, I wondered how long it was going to be before someone brings up the racism in Korea factor. As it turns out, it was after one post.
If this thing was the other way around, and those rescue team were disguised North Korean commandos who slipped through and blew up an airport, everyone here will be screaming those incompetent Korean police.
I say speak after you know all the facts.
Would CPR would have helped this man who had stopped breathing amidst the hundreds of people in the vicinity?
If so, the overlooked tragedy in this case is how very few people in Korea know how to perform CPR.
Gee, it’s too bad they didn’t get him into the ambulance sooner, where he would have died sitting in traffic.
Well, the EMS personnel could have been terrorists in disguise, but still this does not excuse the fact that the security personnel at the other side of the doors should have sent out an APB stating there was an emergency medical case and should EMS personnel show up that they still have been let through.
And assuming they let the EMS people in and if the security personnel still weren’t too sure then they could easily have followed and kept tabs on the EMS people. And I might add, this is what they are supposed to be do, after letting them in.
Sounds like a case of petty authority gone awry. 119 guys as terrorists? Don’t think so. I doubt that crossed the minds of the “security” chaps. Nope, it’s a case of “just following the rules, so there.”
@21, re the Chosun article: Why can’t that sentence above start with, “A man died after collapsing…” (rather than a foreigner)
Why doesn’t this blog post say, “A man dies at Incheon Airport After Service Staff Block Rescue Personnel” (rather than an American)?
My mistake;
should EMS personnel show up that they still have been let through -> should EMS personnel show up that they should be let through.
they are supposed to be do -> they are supposed to do
RE #31: “Why doesn’t this blog post say, ‘A man dies at Incheon Airport After Service Staff Block Rescue Personnel’ (rather than an American)?”
fair enough, of its own accord, but especially since there are conflicting reports as to the man’s nationality…
“If so, the overlooked tragedy in this case is how very few people in Korea know how to perform CPR.”
It is certainly tragic when you consider that most Korean men have supposedly served in the military. First Aid was one of the first things we were taught when I did my training.
…and I don’t mean learning how to properly put a band aid on a boo boo when I talk about first aid. We learned how to dress severed limbs, eyes popped out of their sockets, bullet holes, punctured lungs, stab wounds,…in other words, we learned to take care of all the stuff that you can imagine that would make you toss your lunch.
Re #32:
mins0306, thanks for resisting the temptation to go back and edit your comments even though, with your access to the blog, you could have. As most of us aren’t able to edit/revise our comments directly, it’s nice to see that you’re ‘keeping things real’ by not doing so either. You da man!
There’s no established procedure for airport personnel in the event of a heart attack or medical emergency? WTF? Incheon International is a hub? The airport in my Hicksville hometown is probably better prepared than this.
There’s no established procedure for airport personnel in the event of a heart attack or medical emergency? WTF? Incheon International is a hub? The airport in my Hicksville hometown is probably better prepared than this.
#36.
Actually, I can’t edit my comments unless it’s for the comments of something I posted.
Sounds like another victim of deep vein thrombosis.
the question that nees to be asked is where the hell was the airport medical staff
the same guys who respond to crashes to save survivors????
yes once again common sense in korea is non-existent
Great so now in order to be a responsible traveler I now must memorize the emergency response numbers for every airport terminal I intend to pass through ahead of time, lest I risk scrambling around for a phone book and flipping through pages I can’t read because it might not be in a language I am aware of?
119 or 911 are standards. You bring up a good point about the medical facility, but if that’s the case, why isn’t it integrated in the 119 emergency response system so that the operator can direct it to the proper facility?
Amazing bunch of apologists for the blatant incompetence shown in this case.
Just another reason to be glad I don’t live in Korea anymore.
#42.
Yes you’re right a traveller shouldn’t have to look through a phone book to find the number of the airport medical facility.
However, you’ve taken my words out of context. What I meant is that the airport personnel should have called or more accurately radioed the medical facility.(Airport personnel communicate with each other via small two way radios) The reason? The medical facility is located at the basement of the terminal, while the airport fire station is located at a different building. And besides a quicker reaction time, my guess is unlike the EMS personnel, the personnel at the medical facility probably has the passes to the restricted areas of the terminal.
But all in all, the Incheon International Airport Authority should have had the foresight to issue passes to the EMS personnel and should have prepared the employees of the various departments so that they could coordinate with each other during an emergency.
The above incident highlights a gross oversight in the emergency procedures of the Incheon Airport. Hopefully, they’ll correct it so that the above tragedy does not happen again.
Metro,
“I just started yelling at him in Korean and shouted that I was on a plane that was about to leave, I was gonna sue them, him, everyone – just causing a big embarassing moment.”
C’mon, that’s a little embarrassing, don’t you think? Sure, you made your flight, but I would be ashamed if I acted that way.
Don’t mean to criticize you too much, but I think that’s below your standards.
And, on a lighter note, I thought your threat to sue was funny. What chance would any of us foreigners have in court in the civil case of Foreigner vs. Hub of Korea Facilities Management.
Hmmm, security over safety. All 3 parties experienced a real
learning experience. I hope so, unless one was wearing a dynamite vest.
Pardon me, #47 should be:
the case of Foreigner vs. ‘A World Best Airport Hub’ Facilities Management
OR
Foreigner vs. Hub of Northeast Asia Facilities Management
cm, at about #25, until you brought it up I didn’t see that at all and I read every post. Certainly not to the extent you seemed to have interjected. A little chippy this morning?
Your assertion that someone posted something to the effect that less than a full effort was given or worse, the effort to save this man was hindered because he was a foreigner is hogwash. None of that was discussed until YOU brought it up. Most people talked about a lack of communication and a large dose of incompetence, not much else. Someone said that they WONDERED whether there would be more outrage if the victim were Korean. Someone also said that they WISHED that it had been reported that a life was lost rather than a foreigner had died. I think a valid point but not something that will be changed soon.
Look, when the racist card is thrown where none exists, it diminishes the impact of outcry when it does come into play. I thought this thread was fairly well commented on until YOUR rant.
It’s confirmed! The surveys are wrong! Everyone in Canada is smoking blundts.
tired, cm? of course, your comments were right on the money….just like mine were to you so long ago……..
cm’s comments were mistaken — and this was cleared up nicely by maddlew.
it seems that if we take the OPPOSITE of what pawi says on a given issue, we’ll be “right on the money”.
cm: “So they wanted him dead as an act of anti-Americanism or racism.”
Pawi, where did he conjure this up from? Give me a single quote from this thread where this is in any way implied. Read the whole thing. Take your time.
His comments were right on? When did you start burning blundts?
RE: #32
“@21, re the Chosun article: Why can’t that sentence above start with, “A man died after collapsing…” (rather than a foreigner)
Why doesn’t this blog post say, “A man dies at Incheon Airport After Service Staff Block Rescue Personnel” (rather than an American)?”
Ummm…becuase this blog’s target audience is expats?
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