Professor Kim, who has been virtually solely responsible for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Chonbuk National University Hospital, has resigned.

Working 90 hours a week and enduring shifts of up to 50 consecutive hours, Professor Kim announced his resignation on June 28, stating, "If I continue to hold on, the system will only collapse further."

In Jeonju, where the baby was born, there are two hospitals with NICUs: Chonbuk National University Hospital, where Professor Kim worked, and Jesus Hospital.

However, following Professor Kim's announcement of resignation, Chonbuk National University Hospital transferred two babies from its NICU to Jesus Hospital to ensure they received proper care.

With all 12 beds in the Jesus Hospital NICU filled, the hospital was ultimately unable to accept a baby who showed symptoms of respiratory distress on July 5.

What was the situation at Chonbuk National University Hospital at that time?

It was confirmed that on the night of the incident, another neonatologist was on duty, and all 25 beds in the NICU were empty.

However, the obstetrics department did not inquire whether the hospital could accept the baby. Consequently, the baby was transferred to Wonkwang University Hospital in Iksan, 22 kilometers away, despite a hospital being just 10 minutes away.

The transfer took about an hour.

The obstetrics department explained that they did not contact Chonbuk National University Hospital because they believed the NICU was difficult to operate due to Professor Kim's absence.

[Obstetrics Department Official: We had already agreed among ourselves that since the NICU at Chonbuk National University Hospital was effectively closed because Professor Kim was not there, we would send patients to Jesus Hospital from then on.]

The medical community emphasizes that this is a situation that could happen anywhere in the country, with appeals stating that NICUs have reached their limit and the situation in non-capital regions is akin to a disaster.

[Jang Yoon-sil / President of the Korean Society of Neonatology (Professor of Pediatrics at Samsung Medical Center): As residents disappear due to a lack of interest in the field, every NICU is now operating on a one-person on-call system. The structure is such that if one or two people falter, the entire NICU system shakes.]

The medical community warns that even in the capital region, where about 70% of the 200 neonatologists are concentrated, the absence of a single doctor can have a direct impact on a baby's life.

Warnings Ignored, Could Not Prevent Neonatal Death... "A Precarious Situation at the Limit" (July 9, 2026, 8 O'Clock News)

Reported by Han Seong-hee | Written by Bae Jun-hwi | Video by Kim Jin-won | Graphics by Jeon Yu-geun | Produced by SBS Digital News