No family, no funds: Seeking relief for vulnerable foreign patients

For six years and four months, a hospital bed in the southern industrial hub of Ulsan was the site of a silent tragedy and an escalating financial dilemma.

A Chinese national, identified only by his surname Li, had arrived in Korea on a 90-day tourist visa in September 2019.

Just nine days into an informal dishwashing job at a local restaurant, he suffered a catastrophic brain hemorrhage and collapsed into an unrecoverable coma.

Under Korean medical legislation, institutions are legally obligated to deliver life-saving care regardless of a patient’s residency status or financial standing.

Hospital D, a private healthcare facility, fulfilled its moral and legal mandate without hesitation.

Physicians stabilized Li, transferred him to an intensive care unit, and provided round-the-clock life support.

Year after year, the medical equipment hummed, nursing staff maintained his care, and the unpaid ledger steadily expanded.

By the time Li passed away on April 25, 2026, the accrued medical debt had surpassed 840 million won ($600,000).

For the hospital’s administration, the ordeal exposed ...