119 Emergency Responses Rise 4.4% During Chuseok Holiday; Airway Obstruction Cases Surge 47.8%

[Financial News] During the Chuseok holiday, 119 emergency medical responses increase by more than 4% compared with usual levels, while airway obstruction accidents caused by food and other substances surge by nearly 50%. The National Fire Agency (NFA) will strengthen support for selecting hospitals for critically ill patients and for interregional transfers to prepare for increased demand for emergency medical services during the holiday.
According to the NFA on the 16th, the daily average number of emergency medical responses during the Chuseok holiday over the past three years was 9,631, while 5,283 people were transported. Compared with normal periods, responses increased by 4.4% and the number of people transported by 3.8%.
By type of accident, airway obstruction cases showed the sharpest increase. During the Chuseok holiday, such cases rose 47.8% above normal levels. Traffic accidents also increased by 1.3%.
Accordingly, the NFA will implement its “2026 Chuseok Holiday 119 Emergency Medical Response Plan” for four days, from the 24th through the 27th.
When a report involving a critically ill patient is received, the NFA will operate a multiple-response system in which an ambulance and a fire pump truck are dispatched together. If it takes time to find a hospital able to accept the patient, provincial and metropolitan authorities and the 119 Emergency Medical Services Situation Management Center will simultaneously check which medical institutions can receive the patient.
For critically ill patients who require long-distance transport because treatment is difficult to provide in the local area, the NFA will coordinate fire helicopters or Heli-EMS. Relevant agencies will jointly respond to the transport of high-risk pregnant women and newborns.
The NFA will also reinforce the staff and call-receiving desks at the 119 Emergency Medical Services Situation Management Center in anticipation of increased inquiries about hospitals, clinics and pharmacies that remain open during the holiday.
The NFA will also conduct a campaign to reduce the use of 119 services by non-emergency patients. From the 7th through the 6th of next month, TBN Traffic Broadcasting’s 13 nationwide stations will air related guidance twice a day during commuting hours, for a total of 780 broadcasts. From the 23rd through the 30th, just before and during the holiday, MBC Standard FM will air the guidance 32 times.
The director of the NFA’s 119 Response Bureau said, "As demand for emergency medical services increases during the Chuseok holiday due to higher traffic volumes and greater use of medical institutions, we will prepare thoroughly—from on-site dispatches to hospital selection and interregional transfers."


[email protected] Lee Bo-mi Reporter