Cho Jeong-sik, a Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker who serves as political special adviser to President Lee Jae-myung, said on the 25th (local time) that Senior Vice Chair Lee Hae-chan of The Peaceful Unification Advisory Council (PUAC), whose health worsened during a business trip to Vietnam, "has not yet regained consciousness, and the critical condition continues."
Meeting reporters at Thu Duc General Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City the same day, Special Adviser Cho said regarding Senior Vice Chair Lee's transfer to Korea, "It is not a situation I can speak to yet. We need to monitor the situation a little longer." Earlier, Senior Vice Chair Lee's health deteriorated during his business trip to Vietnam, and he was taken to a local hospital. In response, President Lee urgently dispatched Special Adviser Cho to the site.
He added, "The president is very saddened by Senior Vice Chair Lee's worsening health and is earnestly praying for a speedy recovery," and "has been following my reports in real time and conveyed thanks to the Vietnamese authorities and the hospital for their efforts."
He also said that the previous day, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh of Vietnam sent a letter wishing Senior Vice Chair Lee a speedy recovery to the Korean Embassy, and the chair of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee visited the hospital to comfort the family, showing that the Vietnamese government is paying special attention to his recovery.
Senior Vice Chair Lee, who was on a trip to Ho Chi Minh City to attend a PUAC meeting, showed symptoms of weakened breathing on the 23rd and was taken to the emergency room while receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation. He was then diagnosed with a myocardial infarction, underwent a stent procedure, and for the third day has been in the intensive care unit receiving ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) treatment, among others.
Along with Special Adviser Cho, Democratic Party lawmakers Kim Tae-nyeon, Lee Hae-sik, Lee Jae-jung, Choi Min-hee, and Kim Hyun also traveled to Vietnam to visit Senior Vice Chair Lee and discuss countermeasures.