42 firefighters assaulted in Chungnam over past 5 years
Quick Look
- Over the past five years, 42 emergency medical technicians in Chungnam, South Korea, have been victims of assault.
- Incidents have already matched last year's total this year, with authorities vowing strict responses, especially against intoxicated perpetrators.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The article reports on the increasing number of assaults against 119 emergency medical technicians in Chungnam, South Korea. Over the last five years, 42 such incidents have been recorded, with the current year already matching last year's total. Many perpetrators are intoxicated, and the authorities are committed to a strict legal response.
42 firefighters assaulted in Chungnam over past 5 years
(Hongseong = Yonhap News) Reporter Jeong Yun-deok = In the past five years, 42 119 emergency medical technicians in Chungnam have been victims of assault.
According to the Chungnam Fire Service on the 11th, 30 cases of assault on emergency medical technicians occurred in the province from 2022 to early this month.
As of this year, 6 cases (8 victims) have occurred, already matching the total number of cases last year. Last year, 10 people were victims.
Of the assault perpetrators, 10 were sentenced to up to 1 year and 6 months in prison (including suspended sentences), and 11 were fined up to 10 million won.
Two cases are currently being tried, and the remaining 7 are under investigation.
Seong Ho-seon, head of the Chungnam Fire Service, said, "We are strictly responding by defining assaults on emergency medical technicians as serious crimes that threaten the lives and safety of citizens." He added, "90% of all cases occur while intoxicated, and we will respond according to the law and principles without leniency or mitigation based on intoxication."
To ensure the safety of emergency medical technicians, the Chungnam Fire Service is operating a multi-unit dispatch system with police joint response and PUM-bulance (pump truck + ambulance) for reports of intoxicated individuals and potential assaults. It is also strengthening its high-risk dispatch management system, such as sharing risk information from the initial report reception stage.
Open Questions
- What specific measures are being taken to prevent future assaults?
- Are there any specific trends in the types of assaults or the locations where they occur?
- What is the success rate of the joint police response system?
- How does the rate of assault on emergency personnel in Chungnam compare to other regions in South Korea?
