Emergency services reported that the woman collapsed at the airport around 12:20 p.m. local time on Sunday.

She was initially transferred to Inha University Hospital in Incheon that borders Seoul, but the hospital refused to admit her, citing a shortage of obstetricians, Korea Times reported.

After 13 hospitals in Incheon declined to accept her, emergency responders contacted hospitals in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. However, many hospitals inquired about how far along she was in her pregnancy. Due to a language barrier, this information could not be conveyed, leading to further rejections.

While waiting in the ambulance outside Inha University Hospital, the woman began experiencing severe abdominal pain, and her water broke, according to Korea Joongang Daily.

Paramedics performed an emergency procedure, successfully delivering the baby boy at 2:33 p.m., two hours and 13 minutes after the initial emergency call.

It remains unclear whether the woman was a visitor, a departing traveler, or a resident in South Korea.

An official from Incheon Fire Services confirmed that after the delivery, both the mother and newborn were admitted to Inha University Hospital for further care.

The incident comes amid South Korea’s ongoing healthcare crisis, as thousands of junior doctors have been on strike since February last year. They are protesting a government plan to increase medical school admissions to address physician shortages in critical fields such as pediatrics, obstetrics, emergency medicine, and thoracic surgery.

The strike has caused widespread hospital disruptions, including appointment delays and frequent emergency room rejections.