"After Helping Them"... Nearly 1,400 Firefighters Assaulted by Intoxicated Patients

1,399 cases of assaults on paramedics over the past five years
An annual average of 254 cases... Alcohol involved in '84%' of them
Need for protective equipment in ambulances or more personnel on emergency teams

Nearly 1,400 firefighters have been assaulted by patients requiring emergency medical services over the past five years, according to data. Calls have been made for measures such as tougher penalties and adding more personnel to emergency response teams.

According to the National Fire Agency and other sources, there were 1,399 cases of paramedics being assaulted from 2021 through June 2026.

An emergency medical technician transports a patient in front of the emergency room at a large hospital in Seoul. Yonhap News Agency

By year, there were 248 cases in 2021, 248 in 2022, 249 in 2023, 269 in 2024, 198 in 2025, and 148 through June 2026, for an annual average of 254 cases.

Alcohol was cited as the cause in 1,180 cases (84.3%), accounting for the vast majority. Mental illness was cited in 79 cases (5.6%), while 140 cases (10.0%) were attributed to other causes.

Penalties are already in place. Anyone who assaults emergency responders on duty faces up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 50 million won. The law has also been amended to prevent intoxication or drug use from serving as grounds for reduced culpability due to diminished mental capacity.

However, prison sentences are uncommon. Early in 2026, a defendant who swore at and shoved a paramedic in Dobong-gu, Seoul, was fined 3 million won. Another defendant who kicked a firefighter was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for two years.

Assaults continue to occur. In March 2026, a fire lieutenant in Seoul was kicked in the head, chest and abdomen while disinfecting a patient before measuring the patient's blood sugar, and was diagnosed with injuries requiring at least four weeks of treatment. On April 2, 2018, in Jeonbuk, a fire captain was struck on the head five times while transporting an intoxicated person to a hospital. The captain was admitted to the intensive care unit with a brain hemorrhage, pulmonary edema and heart failure, and died one month after the incident.

At a National Assembly audit by the Public Administration and Security Committee on October 7, 2026, lawmakers continued to call for improvements, including installing protective equipment inside ambulances and adding more personnel to emergency response teams. The National Fire Agency also said it would discuss the matter.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.