[The Editors' Verdict] Chuseok: The Determination Not to Get Sick

During the Chuseok holiday, the place that is always crowded at the express bus terminal is the restroom. This is because many have experienced the difficulty of urgently needing to relieve themselves while on the highway. People tend to feel greater anxiety in situations that are hard to control. There is no immediate solution to the problem. All one can do is hope the bus reaches the rest stop quickly?what else can be done?

At times like this, people around you advise, "If you can endure it, try to hold on." This might be effective when it comes to bodily functions. However, if someone is in pain and is told to endure it first, that would be an irrational act. This Chuseok holiday, we find ourselves in a position to become subjects of such irrational behavior.

The so-called "determination not to get sick"?a phrase reminiscent of a movie title?is related to the reality Korean society is facing. Why is there a silent vow to not get sick, to endure pain at least during this Chuseok holiday? It is because of the growing concern that the medical crisis could reach its peak during this holiday period.

The threshold for hospital emergency rooms has already risen significantly. Unless the condition is severe, it is difficult to expect to use the emergency room. This is a phenomenon caused by an influx of patients exceeding the capacity.

On the 13th, ahead of the Chuseok holiday, travelers at the Express Bus Terminal in Seocho-gu, Seoul, are boarding buses heading to their hometowns. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

What if more hospitals and clinics close during the Chuseok holiday, and the number of medical staff on duty decreases further? Although the relevant authorities are striving to secure essential medical personnel, it is not hard to infer that appropriate medical services during the Chuseok holiday will be difficult to expect. Moreover, the holiday period involves more people traveling and gathering than usual, leading to more emergencies and incidents. An environment where patients accumulate but timely and proper treatment is hard to receive is itself a source of anxiety.

What would you do if a family member suddenly falls ill or has an accident, and the emergency room you painstakingly find refuses admission? If you then wander searching for another emergency room while traffic congestion worsens, wouldn’t you experience heart-wrenching distress? You would be helpless, unable to do anything for your suffering family member but pace anxiously. In such a situation, is it reasonable to tell someone to endure it if they can?

The severity of an illness is the domain of a doctor's judgment. Yet, the Vice Minister of Health and Welfare appeared in the media and said, "High fever or sudden abdominal pain are mild symptoms," only to face public backlash. How many parents would say that if their child has a high fever or abdominal pain and is in distress, it is mild enough not to warrant a visit to the emergency room?

If non-medical judgments about illnesses lead to missing the golden time for treatment, who can be held responsible and how? Can we dismiss citizens’ anxiety as needless worry when a two-year-old child who had fever and convulsions went into a coma after being sent from one emergency room to another? The problem is that there seems to be no sharp solution to alleviate the anxiety we are about to face.

Instead of exchanging Chuseok greetings, we exchange warnings not to get sick. It is heartbreaking that, knowing it is an irrational vow, we must make the "determination not to get sick."