Kumho Tire has provided an injured Vietnamese worker with months of rehabilitation and medical treatment, so that he can return to work at the company’s plant in the Southeast Asian country and support his family, company officials said on Wednesday.

The officials said Kumho Group chairman Park Sam-koo gave full support to Truong Vinh Thuan, who was at risk of being permanently paralyzed after a work accident in April.

The worker was operating the power system at the Vietnamese plant when the top part of his uniform became caught and pulled in his upper body, jamming it in the machine.

Thuan’s left arm and ribs were fractured, while his cervical spine was partially injured, damaging the nerves. Local medical services were unable to handle the severity of his injuries.

Upon hearing the news, the Kumho Group chairman ordered that Thuan be immediately transferred to Yonsei University’s Severance Hospital in Seoul via Asiana Airlines for timely medical treatment to minimize the aftereffects from the injury.

“I was frustrated when the accident occurred, but now I am encouraged with a fast recovery through medical care and rehab training in Korea,” Thuan said.

The Vietnamese worker added that he wished to repay Park’s kindness by contributing to Kumho Tire’s success. The company, in return, plans to take him back to work after he is recovered.

By Chung Joo-won (joowonc@heraldcorp.com)