ISTANBUL

Thirteen South Korean hospitals refused to treat a pregnant Vietnamese woman who went into labor at Seoul's international airport, forcing her to give birth in an ambulance, The Korea Times reported on Monday.

The 31-year-old woman reportedly fainted at Incheon International Airport on Sunday, according to local fire authorities.

Authorities initially transferred her to Inha University Hospital, but the hospital declined treatment, citing a shortage of obstetricians.

Emergency services spent two hours searching for a hospital that would accept her, but she went into labor while waiting in the ambulance.

Firefighters, who were prepared for an emergency delivery, successfully delivered a baby boy. It remains unclear whether the woman was a visitor to South Korea or a resident.

“We conducted an emergency delivery in an ambulance due to severe labor pains while looking for other hospitals,” a fire official said. “The mother and the newborn were transferred to Inha University Hospital for treatment.”

The incident occurred amid a health crisis in South Korea, where thousands of junior doctors have been on strike since February last year, leading to major disruptions in hospital services.