2017年11月13日南北軍事境界線を超え亡命し負傷した若い北朝鮮軍人の治療に携わったJohn Cook-Jong Lee医師を覚えているだろうか？彼はDepartment of General Surgery、Ajou School of Medicineの教授である。
その当時から、軍関係の事件であるにもかかわらず北朝鮮の負傷兵は韓国の軍病院ではなく、何故民間のLee医師のところに搬送されたのか、具体的な理由を知りたかったが、私の周辺の防衛省関連の方々は情報を持ち合わせてはいなかった。その後個人的な接点を介してLee医師と連絡がつき直接の面談をお願いしたが断われてしまったが、彼の好意により2018年4月13日メールにて私の質問に答えて頂いた。このような先生の活躍で韓国軍の医療も補完されているのであろうと推測された一方、戦傷医療の経験が圧倒的に少ない我国にはこのような貴重な生きた経験や知識を必死で得ようとする態度が防衛省には強く望まれる。
Lee医師からのメールの一部を紹介する（敢えて翻訳していない）。
Dear SASAKI Sensei,
Please take my sincere apology replying back so delayed.
I am a civilian medical doctor thus I am not sure the trauma system in a Korean military system.
However I would like to answer your questions only limited to my knowledge.
1. How the casualty was transported ? Who transported the casualty, whether
civil emergency medical technician or combat medics transported him ?
What is the most difficult issue about this treatment ?
The North Korean defector was transferred by US Air MEDIVAC team, Dustoff.
I was not aware that he was a North Korean at the time I received him.
The major challenge was that he was in very critical condition.
As soon as he was resuscitated within 30 min, he was moved to the operation theatre.
The operation itself was performed very well by trauma surgeons and orthopedic surgeons.
During his recovery we detected that he was infected with hepatitis D, which was very rare condition in South Korea.
His liver enzyme was sky high and I was worried that he was going into a fulminant hepatitis and die.
2. In your country, is there a specific combat transportation system about
combat casualty ?
Yes, there is. However I am not sure how they work.
3. Do you have a guideline of Korean original TCCC (tactical combat casualty
care) guidebook or specific treatment system or organization or hospital
about combat casualty ?
I would guess the Armed Forces Medical Command has one.
4. Did the casualty happen to be transported to your hospital or as the role
of your hospital, he was transported to your hospital ?
US Air MEDIVAC and my trauma center have been working together since 2002. US wounded soldiers have been transferred to my trauma center and I treated them many times.
Those two parties has MOU, and we have numerous helicopter evacuation training as well. So, US Air MEDIVAC took the North Korean defector to my hospital without any hesitation.
5. Tell me the system for treatment of combat casualties and how to educate
doctors who treat combat casualties in Korea ?
This topic belongs to the Armed Forces Medical Command.
However, my trauma center has regular training excercises with US 65th medical brigade for mass casualty.
I hope this answer you very well.