American woman loses twin after 7 South Korean hospitals refuse care

A 26-year-old American woman pregnant with twins lost one of her babies and saw the other suffer a grave brain injury after seven hospitals in South Korea allegedly denied her treatment during a medical emergency.

The case has exposed disturbing gaps in the country’s emergency obstetric system, and reignited international debate over the sanctity of preborn life and the responsibility of medical institutions to cater to the welfare of both mother and child.

Key Takeaways:

• A woman at around 28 weeks pregnant began experiencing abdominal pain while in South Korea.

• She was denied care at seven major hospitals in Daegu, and one of her preborn twins died.

• Her surviving baby suffered brain damage from oxygen deprivation.

Daegu City and the Daegu Fire Safety Headquarters reported that on February 28 last year, a 26-year-old American woman identified as A, who was 28 weeks pregnant and was staying at a hotel in Daegu, began experiencing abdominal pain and symptoms of preterm labor.

Her husband, B, sought medical assistance from a nearby obstetrics and gynecology hospital at around 10:16 p.m. that evening, but was informed that, “We have no treatment history, so you need to go to a university hospital.”

At around 1 a.m. the following day, as the woman’s pain worsened, her husband contacted emergency services. An ambulance reached the hotel roughly 10 minutes later, but remained there for nearly 50 minutes.

During that time, paramedics reached out to seven major hospitals in Daegu, each declining to admit the patient, with reasons like “the obstetrician is currently unavailable” and “there are insufficient neonatal beds.” 

The husband eventually opted to drive his wife to Bundang Seoul National University Hospital, where she regularly received care. During the journey, the couple continued phoning hospitals in the vicinity in search of assistance. He explained that his wife had earlier undergone a cervical cerclage procedure to reduce the risk of premature birth.

As she went into labor in the car, he recounted that both her life and those of their preborn twins were in serious danger.

Unfortunately, disorganized coordination obstructed the couple’s efforts to procure medical assistance. As the husband continued driving, his mother persistently tried to contact emergency services in the Gyeongbuk and Chungbuk areas. At around 3:20 a.m., they met with a rescue team, but there were communication issues between the emergency units. The woman was not moved to another ambulance until 4:42 a.m. in an attempt to expedite the trip to Bundang.

By then, rescue records documented that her amniotic sac had ruptured and her blood pressure had dropped dramatically. 

Eventually, the mother survived an emergency cesarean section, but one of the twins died shortly after birth from hypoxia, while the other suffered brain damage and remains under medical care.

Zoom Out:

Previously in 2023, Daegu witnessed a similar tragedy when a teenage emergency patient perished after being rejected by several hospitals — a case that became referred to as the “emergency room roundabout” incident.

After that, the city implemented a “responsible emergency medical system” meant to minimize treatment delays and hospital refusals. According to this framework, the 119 Emergency Situation Management Center decides the appropriate hospital for transfer depending on the patient’s condition, instead of having paramedics contact hospitals individually. 

This tragedy is an unfortunate example of how bureaucratic hesitation and depersonalized medical systems can cost innocent lives. South Korea’s health care infrastructure, while advanced, is caving under demographic pressures. The country’s birth rate is alarmingly low — averaging just 0.72 births per woman in 2024 — sparking closures of maternity wards and a shortage of obstetricians,  particularly in remote areas.

Ironically, this situation has surfaced in a country attempting to increase births. Many hospitals have diverted resources away from obstetric and neonatal care.

The Bottom Line:

This tragedy shows how delayed obstetric care has given rise to preventable deaths. When institutions separate compassion from care, innocent lives can be lost as a result.

The right to life is not merely a legal or political issue — it is a moral basis upon which all medical ethics that claim to promote life and health rest.