Lee Guk-jong

Lee Guk-jong (Korean: 이국종) is a South Korean doctor. As a surgeon specializing in trauma, he is South Korea's leading authority in the treatment of trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder, and gunshot wounds. He won "The Person Who Brightened the World" award in November 2017. Lee Guk-jong leads the trauma surgery team at Ajou University Hospital.

On November 13, 2017, Oh Chong-song, a North Korean soldier, crossed the Military Demarcation Line and attempted to defect to South Korea at one of the North Korean guard posts in the Joint Security Area of Panmunjom. He was shot five times by other North Korean soldiers pursuing him. The soldier who defected to South Korea was seriously wounded and was rushed to Ajou University Hospital in a state of unconsciousness. Lee Guk-jong was in charge of emergency surgery for the soldier, and after several operations, the soldier regained consciousness.

Professor Guk-jong works 120 hours a week. He has worked 36 hours in a row consistently for 15 years in trauma surgery while occasionally taking short naps. As a result, his right shoulder broke while going to the scene of the Sewol Ferry disaster and his left knee broke after he jumped out of a helicopter.His left eye became almost blind after capillaries in his eyes ruptured while he was treating Captain Seok Hae-kyun. People around him tried to stop him, but he said he would rest after completing treatment. Even when surgery was over, he operated again and again when the patient came, and eventually almost went blind. He discovered this issue in a medical checkup in 2015.

In January 2011, the Samho Jewelry of Korea's Samho Shipping Co. was hijacked by Somali pirates. Republic of Korea UDT/SEALs were sent to retake the boat and wipe out the pirates. During the operation, Captain Seok Hae-gyun was seriously wounded by six AK gunshots to his abdomen and limbs. He underwent surgery at Oman University Hospital, but soon fell into critical condition. After news got back to Korea, professor Guk-jong was immediately dispatched to Oman. After checking Hae-gyun's condition, he made the judgement that Hae-gyun would die if left in Oman and insisted on escorting Captain Seok back to Korea using an air ambulance.

Lee Guk-jong was born in Gangseo-gu, Seoul in 1969. His father was a disabled Korean War veteran. As a child, Guk-jong's family was so poor that they had to subsist on government food rations. Due to the negative social views in Korea surrounding disabled veterans,he hid the fact that he was a son of national merit until middle school.

On November 21st, Kim Jong-dae, a member of Congress, posted, "The North Korean soldier who defected to the South was terrorized by the disclosure of parasites" on Facebook, causing a controversy. He pointed out, "Through this soldier, North Korea has become a parasite country, a dirty country, and an abhorrent country." He criticized South Korea, saying, "I think South Korea, a country of voyeurism that exposes it, is no better than North Korea." As criticism and protest flooded Kim Jong-dae's Facebook page over this controversy, He expressed regret over putting pressure on Lee Guk-jong.