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A police officer who suffered severe injuries in a secondary accident while managing a traffic accident scene and underwent long-term treatment has been found dead after his application for a medical treatment extension for official duty was rejected.
According to the police and other sources on Sunday (August 9), Inspector Lee, a police officer in his 50s attached to the Hapcheon Police Station in Gyeongsangnam-do, was found dead after leaving his home on August 2 to go exercise.
In January 2024, Inspector Lee suffered severe injuries requiring 16 weeks of medical treatment, including a cerebral hemorrhage and multiple fractures, after being struck in a secondary accident while clearing a nighttime traffic accident scene.
It was confirmed that he had been on leave continuing his rehabilitation due to severe physical aftereffects that made it difficult for him to walk properly, compounded by depression. However, with his recently applied extensions for official-duty medical treatment repeatedly denied, he was facing reinstatement at the end of this month.
The bereaved family expressed their grief, stating, "Even though two years have passed since the accident, Inspector Lee still had difficulty walking for more than 10 minutes and suffered major wrist injuries, making rehabilitation desperately necessary."
Tragedies involving police officers injured in the line of duty continue to repeat, following a previous incident in May where a police officer in Gwangju and Jeollanam-do who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after being attacked with a weapon was also found dead.
According to the Korean National Police Agency, 116 police officers took their own lives over the five-year period from 2021 to 2025, with the suicide rate among police officers being more than twice as high as that of general public officials.
While the National Police Agency has set out to prepare comprehensive measures to prevent colleague suicides, voices are growing in the field calling for more effective psychological support and medical care protection systems for injured police officers.
※ If you or someone you know is experiencing feelings of depression or other difficult concerns, you can receive 24-hour counseling from professionals by calling the suicide prevention helpline at 109 or through the suicide prevention social media counseling service 'Madeleine'.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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