Family of Gyeongsan arson victim struggles with mounting medical bills: 'Skin grafts alone will cost W300m'

A victim of an arson and explosion at an apartment management office in Sadong, Gyeongsan, is struggling to cover medical costs that could run into hundreds of millions of won after suffering severe burns in the attack, which occurred at around 8:29 a.m. Thursday.

The husband of victim A, a 59-year-old woman, spoke of his despair outside the intensive care unit of a burn specialist hospital in Daegu on Sunday, according to the Yeongnam Ilbo.

"Skin cultivation alone takes three weeks, and each sheet costs around 3.3 million to 3.5 million won," said B, 63, the victim's husband. "We need at least 100 sheets, which already comes to around 300 million won ($216,000), and that's before future surgeries and treatment for complications. This is not something an ordinary family can handle."

A suffered third-degree burns over 95 percent of her body in the attack and is enduring daily procedures to remove dead skin. The only viable donor sites remaining on her body are the soles of her feet and her scalp, making cultured skin grafts the sole treatment option.

The apartment management office held fire insurance, but whether it will cover the victim's medical expenses remains unclear. Support programs for violent-crime victims run by the Ministry of Justice and prosecutors, as well as Gyeongsan's citizen safety insurance — which pays out up to 20 million won — exist, but fall far short of covering burn treatment costs running into the hundreds of millions of won.

The couple moved into the apartment last year, and A had recently joined the newly formed residents' association executive board as an auditor at the request of other residents — a role that placed her at the scene when the attack occurred.