Embassy warns Thais in freezing South Korea

In the wake of a report that 66 Thais had died in South Korea this year, mainly from illnesses related to extreme cold – such as stroke, heart failure, pneumonia and sudden “nocturnal death syndrome” – the embassy posted on Facebook this week that people need to keep warm, eat nutritious food, avoid alcohol, get enough sleep and be mindful of their surroundings.
Rungrangsri Park, who works as a Korean-Thai interpreter, posted on Facebook last week that a 46-year-old Thai woman had on December 3 suffered a stroke induced by exposure to extreme cold, just over a week after she arrived in South Korea.
Paralysed and in critical condition, she is being treated in hospital, Rungransri said. Her medical bill to date is 25 million won (about Bt750,000).
The embassy said 29 Thais in South Korea died in 2012 and 72 in 2016.
It said Thais working illegally in South Korea were particularly at risk because they were not covered by state welfare and could be forced to work in difficult conditions.
Such workers must cover their own medical expenses, and treatment can be expensive, it said. Expenses their families incur should they die are unlikely to cover related expenses, it said.