A Hospital 20km from Yeouido... What Kind of Place Is the 'Noksaek Byeongwon' Where Lee Jae-myung Was Transferred?

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, has been continuing his hunger strike in a hospital bed after being transferred to Noksaek Hospital on the morning of the 18th, the 19th day of his hunger strike, following his transfer to Yeouido St. Mary's Hospital. Noksaek Hospital is smaller in scale compared to tertiary general hospitals and is located more than 20 km away from Yeouido, where the hunger strike took place. The political circle and others are showing interest in why Lee specifically chose this hospital for recovery treatment.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Noksaek Hospital, located in Myeonmok-dong, Jungnang-gu, Seoul, is a general hospital with 265 general inpatient beds and 14 intensive care unit beds. A total of 35 doctors work there, including specialists such as 6 internists, 5 occupational and environmental medicine specialists, and 4 emergency medicine specialists. The proportion of occupational and environmental medicine staff, who deal with diseases caused by exposure to external workplace environments, is higher than in typical hospitals.

Noksaek Hospital was established by the Wonjin Occupational Disease Management Foundation (Wonjin Foundation). In the 1980s and 1990s, employees at the synthetic fiber company Wonjin Rayon suffered mass poisoning due to improper handling of the impurity carbon disulfide at the factory. After the victims' struggle, the Wonjin Foundation was established in 1993 to efficiently manage and execute compensation for the affected workers, and in response to the victims' demand to build a 'specialized occupational disease hospital,' the hospital opened in 2003.

Noksaek Hospital continues to serve patients in medical blind spots, including vulnerable workers. Yang Gil-seung, the former director who supported the Wonjin Rayon workers' struggle, served as the first director, followed by Kim Bong-gu, and currently, Im Sang-hyuk is leading the hospital as the third director. Marking its 20th anniversary this year, the hospital aims to establish the 'Jeon Tae-il Medical Center' to support the health of vulnerable workers.

In the political sphere, some speculate that Lee is continuing his hunger strike at Noksaek Hospital due to the hospital’s background. However, Han Min-su, spokesperson for the Democratic Party, explained, "Noksaek Hospital has specialists experienced in hunger strike treatment," adding, "It is a hospital fully equipped with facilities to support treatment, recommended by medical staff."

In fact, this hospital has treated and cared for Pine Tech workers who conducted long-term chimney sit-ins from 2017 to 2019, Seoljo Monk who fasted for over 40 days in 2018, and victims of the Brothers Home who staged a high-altitude hunger strike in front of the National Assembly in 2019. In 2021, Kang Eun-mi, a Justice Party lawmaker who fasted for over 20 days demanding the enactment of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, and in July, Woo Won-sik, a Democratic Party lawmaker who fasted in front of the National Assembly to stop the discharge of contaminated water from Fukushima, Japan, were also treated and recovered at this hospital.