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Middle school boxer in coma after national championship bout, father blames organizers for poor response

Published: 09 Sep. 2025, 15:04 Updated: 09 Sep. 2025, 17:21

A middle school student boxer during the 55th presidential national boxing championship at Seogwipo Multipurpose Gymnasium in Jeju on Sept. 3. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

A middle school student who competed in a national boxing tournament in Jeju is in a coma after collapsing during his first match.

The athlete’s father, blaming poor emergency response for missing the “golden hour,” attempted to harm himself in protest at the tournament venue on Monday and was taken to a hospital.

The student from a middle school in Muan County, South Jeolla, participated in the 55th Presidential National Boxing Championship at Seogwipo Multipurpose Gymnasium on Sept. 3, according to Yonhap News and JTBC’s “Crime Chief” (2014-) program on Tuesday.

It was the student's debut in the 57-kilogram (125.6-pound) weight class. He reportedly sustained multiple heavy blows to the head and collapsed shortly after the start of the second round.

The unconscious athlete was transported to Seogwipo Medical Center — the nearest hospital — where he underwent emergency brain surgery. However, he remains in a coma.

The family claims that crucial time was lost during the transfer due to mishandling by event staff.

“There are so many injuries in boxing matches, yet there was no 119 ambulance on standby — only a private ambulance,” the student’s mother told Yonhap News. “My son showed clear signs of brain trauma immediately after the injury, but the ambulance got lost on the way and obeyed every traffic signal, so it took 30 minutes to reach the hospital.”

The distance between Seogwipo Multipurpose Gymnasium and Seogwipo Medical Center is approximately 9.3 kilometers (5.8 miles), which typically takes around 17 minutes by car.

The family expressed frustration, saying it was difficult to understand how the transfer took so long. They have requested dashboard camera footage from the ambulance company, but have yet to receive it.

They also claim that the match should have been stopped earlier, as the student was clearly overwhelmed by his opponent and unfit to continue.

The athlete’s father climbed into the boxing ring — where the tournament was still ongoing — and attempted to harm himself on Monday. He was hospitalized but is not in a life-threatening condition.

The Korean Sport and Olympic Committee, the governing body overseeing the Boxing Association of Korea, launched an investigation into the incident on Monday.

“It’s not realistic to have a 119 ambulance at every event, so we typically contract private ambulance services,” a representative of the Boxing Association of Korea told Yonhap News. “We are looking into whether there were issues with the emergency response in this case.”

As for the decision to continue the match despite the student’s condition, the representative told “Crime Chief” that the situation appeared to be within usual competitive standards and that the coach had asked the student if he could continue before the second round began. The student responded that he would keep fighting.

“We will do everything we can to support the student’s recovery,” the association added.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY HYEON YE-SEUL [[email protected]]