Celebrities using ambulances is an obstacle to saving lives

A loud siren wails in the middle of a busy road. An ambulance is racing to the hospital with a patient in critical condition. Drivers make way for the ambulance, demonstrating the 'miracle of Moses' on the road. Drivers yield, hoping that the second they yield will be the second that saves someone's life.

Celebrities caught misusing this noble service, which recently became the subject of criticism. Singer Kim Tae-woo, a member of the boy group G.O.D., faced public outrage when it was revealed that in March 2018, he traveled from Ilsanseo District, Goyang City, Gyeonggi Province, to an event in Seongdong District, Seoul, in a private ambulance. Kim pleaded guilty to a summary indictment for violating the Emergency Medical Service Act and received a 5 million won fine. He apologized, saying, “I acknowledge my fault without excuse and feel deep remorse.” Kim Tae-woo's agency paid the private ambulance driver 300,000 won at the time.

Why have ambulances become known as 'celebrity bullet taxis'? For celebrities, time is money, as they earn millions of won per event, which is why they utilize ambulances to navigate through traffic.

Three years ago, an official from an event planning agency, who appeared on famous TV personality Kim Gura's YouTube channel, disclosed the costs of single events: 35 million won for trot singer Song Ga-in, 20 million won for Lim Young-woong, Young Tak, Kim Ho-jung, and Jang Min -ho, and 50 million won for the girl group MAMAMOO. It's reasonable to assume that other celebrities were charged similar prices then, and these rates have likely increased over the past three years.

As a result, some agencies may rush to schedule events without properly considering travel distance and time, all in the pursuit of profit. With celebrities using ambulances out of complacency and private ambulance companies operating illegally for financial gain, the issue of private ambulances has become a recurring news story in the entertainment industry.

Are the celebrities in the ambulance fully aware of the gravity of their misconduct, which extends far beyond a mere 5 million won fine? Their actions have caused a fracture in the social consensus concerning human lives. The determining factor for their compensation is their popularity among the public. They should not be allowed to continue deceiving the audience that contributed to their fame.