Until last year, over the past five years during the Chuseok holiday, an average of 59 people per day were transported via 119 after bee stings. In the same period, an average of seven people per day were recorded as being bitten by snakes.
According to the National Fire Agency's emergency medical service activity statistics on the 10th, over the past five years (2020–2024) a total of 1,474 patients were transported by 119 crews during the Chuseok holiday due to bee stings. Considering that the holidays spanned a total of 25 days during this period, that means 59 people per day were stung by bees.
Of the patients in bee sting incidents, 1,471 were injured but conscious. In contrast, three were transported to hospitals in cardiac arrest.
In addition, over the past five years, a total of 174 patients were taken to hospitals after snakebites. Starting with 25 cases in 2020, incidents occurred steadily each year, with 52 people affected last year.
The National Fire Agency said the increase in bee stings and snakebites during the Chuseok holiday appears to be due to more outdoor activities such as cemetery visits and grass cutting at family graves.
Accordingly, the National Fire Agency noted that it is best not to use strongly scented cosmetics or perfume when hiking for grass cutting or cemetery visits. Wearing light-colored long sleeves, pants that cover the ankles, and rubber boots can also help prevent accidents.
Separately, the National Fire Agency said accidents from using brush cutters and traffic accidents on homebound trips also occur frequently during the Chuseok holiday. During the last Chuseok holiday, there were cases of arms and legs being cut by brush cutter blades, and injuries to eyes from stones or wood fragments ricocheting. In the past five years, an average of 482 people per day were transported for emergency care due to traffic accidents during the Chuseok holiday.
Yu Byung-uk, head of the 119 Emergency Medical Service Division at the National Fire Agency, said, "We are strengthening our readiness to respond to various safety incidents so that the public can spend the Chuseok holiday safely and in good health," adding, "We ask the public to put safety guidelines into practice to prevent accidents."