Senior S.Korean Diplomat Dies in Beijing

Whang Joung-il, minister for political affairs at the Korean Embassy in China


Senior S.Korean Diplomat Dies in Beijing

Whang Joung-il, 52, a high-ranking diplomat at the Korean Embassy in China, died while being treated in a clinic in downtown Beijing Sunday morning.

On Saturday evening Whang ate a sandwich from a nearby shop while working in his office at the embassy. He then experienced diarrhea and severe abdominal pain and went home.
The next morning Whang suffered shortness of breath and died while being given an injection of Ringer's solution at a clinic in the Chaoyang district of downtown Beijing.
According to Korean Ambassador to China Kim Ha-joong, Whang continued to suffer from stomachache and diarrhea after he returned home from his office.
Around 8:30 in the morning Whang drove his car to the clinic, which is popular with foreigners. He died about 20 minutes after he began receiving the intravenous solution.
The clinic had prescribed Ringer's solution to prevent dehydration. Just after he began receiving the solution, he began having difficulty breathing.
The clinic dialed the emergency number 911, the equivalent to Korea's 119, and began performing CPR. But when emergency medical responders arrived 20 minutes later, Whang had stopped breathing. The clinic confirmed his death at 11:30 a.m.
Witnessed by an embassy official, Chinese police and officials from China's Ministry of Health seized the remaining solution for investigation.
With the consent of the embassy and Whang's family, Chinese police performed an autopsy on his body Monday afternoon.
The exact cause of Whang's death will likely be known after the results of the autopsy are released. Chinese authorities promised the embassy they would deliver the results as soon as possible.
The embassy believes Whang's death may be linked to the sandwich he ate the previous evening, or to the intravenous solution. The solution may have been fake or improperly administered.
China has been plagued by serious health issues in recent days, including an uproar over steamed dumplings allegedly stuffed with chemical-laced cardboard instead of pork, and the distribution of bogus foods and medicines including phony blood for transfusions.

(englishnews@chosun.com )