Attorney Park Sung-min "Paralyzed from the waist down due to ski accident... Rehabilitation has not progressed"

Lawyer Park Seong-min appeared on 'Achim Madang'/Photo by KBS1 educational program 'Achim Madang' broadcast screen capture

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Sung-yeol] Lawyer Park Seong-min, a former doctor, revealed the story of how he became paralyzed from the waist down on the program "Achimmadang." He shared that he had hoped to walk again and started rehabilitation but ultimately failed.

On the morning of the 28th, Park Seong-min appeared as a guest on the "Tuesday Invitation" segment of KBS1's educational program "Achimmadang."

While attending KAIST, he transferred to Inha University College of Medicine. After graduating from medical school, he entered Seoul National University School of Law (Law School). He passed the bar exam, graduated from law school, and even obtained a specialist medical license.

During the broadcast, Lawyer Park said, "In college, I joined the ski club. Every winter, university ski clubs from across the country gather for a training camp." He added, "I became overconfident as my skills improved. So I skied recklessly, and after a fall accident, I became paralyzed from the waist down."

He explained the situation at the time: "When the accident first happened, I thought, 'Wow, I didn’t know it could hurt this much.' Men in their early 20s want to look cool for no reason. So I endured the pain, but it was so severe that I fainted. When I woke up, the surgery was already over."

Regarding the shock he experienced, Lawyer Park said, "It is said that people accept shocking accidents in five stages, but although I was shocked, I was calm." He continued, "In movies, people with paralysis from the waist down walk again through rehabilitation. I thought that would happen to me too."

He added, "After experiencing it myself and studying as a doctor, I realized there are parts that can recover through rehabilitation and parts that cannot, and I was the latter."

Meanwhile, last July, Lawyer Park filed a constitutional complaint to confirm the unconstitutionality of the failure to install convenience facilities for the disabled. He claimed that basic facilities such as elevators and disabled restrooms were not installed in courts, detention centers, prosecutors’ offices, and police stations.