Let's take a look at our third hot topic.

Major hospitals in Seoul have turned into traffic hell.

Severe traffic congestion has recently been repeating around major hospitals in Seoul.

Citizen complaints are growing.

Let's take a look together.  

According to the Seoul Transport Operation and Information Service (TOPIS), roads around the top five tertiary general hospitals in Seoul were all congested at 11:00 AM on the 24th.

Accounts are also flooding online, such as "It usually takes 10 minutes from home to the hospital, but it took an hour and a half," and "It barely took three hours to get out of the parking lot."

The reason behind this traffic congestion appears to be the concentration of medical services in the capital area.

According to data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, patients from outside the capital area at the top five major tertiary general hospitals in Seoul stood at 797,000, an increase of nearly 12% compared to two years ago.

While hospitals advise using public transportation or shuttle buses, the proportion of people using passenger cars remains inevitably high as many patients have physical discomfort.

In addition, worsening summer weather conditions such as heatwaves and torrential downpours are further compounding the congestion.

As severe patients flock to tertiary general hospitals, concerns are simultaneously rising that if congestion worsens, it could become difficult to secure the golden time for emergency vehicles.

(Photo Source: Yonhap News (Provided by reader))