Seoul Metropolitan Government stepped in on Feb. 6 to save Korea University Guro Hospital’s Trauma Surgery Specialist Center from closure, after the facility lost its government funding.

As Korea’s first and only institution dedicated to training trauma surgeons, the center has been crucial in developing the nation’s trauma care capabilities since 2014, producing over 20 specialists who now represent 70 percent of active trauma specialists in the country. This vital institution faced closure after its annual governmental funding of 900 million won was entirely cut this year as part of the broader reduction in the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s 2025 budget. Seoul City’s support, providing 500 million won from its disaster management fund, has temporarily rescued the center from shutting down.

This crisis has recently garnered public attention with the success of the Netflix series “The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call.” The medical drama depicts how trauma surgery departments are often neglected because they do not generate sufficient revenue for hospitals, making them impossible to maintain without government support.

“Anyone can face disasters or accidents at any time, in any situation,” Alina Lee (10), a fan of the series, said. “Cutting the budget in this situation is similar to saying we’re willing to sacrifice lives over just a few hundred million won. While Seoul City’s intervention is fortunate, the government must focus on long-term solutions to prevent this from happening again.”