The government has stepped in to address the issue of “fake ambulances” sounding sirens despite not being in emergency situations. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, July 29 (Korea Bizwire) — The South Korean government has introduced new guidelines to curb the misuse of ambulances operating under false pretenses, aiming to distinguish legitimate emergency use from non-urgent transport and restrict abuse of emergency traffic privileges.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare recently distributed the new standards — titled “Criteria for Recognizing Ambulance Use as Emergency Vehicles” — to hospitals and private medical transport companies. The move comes amid growing concern over so-called “fake ambulances” using sirens and lights without transporting emergency patients.
Under existing law, ambulances are categorized as emergency vehicles and enjoy privileges such as priority passage, exemption from traffic fines, and legal leniency in accidents — but only when used for urgent medical purposes. Until now, the lack of clear criteria made it difficult for law enforcement to distinguish legitimate use from abuse.
According to the new guidance, patients classified as “non-urgent” based on the Pre-KTAS triage system — including those with mild conditions like colds, diarrhea, or minor injuries — do not qualify for emergency vehicle status. Pre-KTAS categorizes patients into five levels, with Level 5 being the least urgent.
The guidelines also specify that while transporting blood and organs will still be recognized as urgent, the delivery of medical samples or equipment will generally not qualify — except in specific scenarios like transporting specimens for infectious disease testing.
Ambulance use to transport medical personnel will only be considered urgent in disaster response situations, and transporting mobility-impaired patients such as those with spinal disorders will not be deemed an emergency under the new rules.
Empty ambulances will also be subject to scrutiny, with authorities checking operation logs and dispatch records to ensure lawful use.
The policy follows President Lee Jae-myung’s directive to strengthen enforcement of basic public order. During a national safety meeting in early June, he cited false ambulance activity as an example of behavior that undermines public trust and called for stronger regulatory oversight.
A Ministry official stated that the new criteria will help both the police and healthcare providers make consistent and lawful decisions regarding the use of ambulance privileges.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
