Baby born alive, then frozen: YouTuber, doctors indicted for murder in 36-week abortion case
The Supreme Prosecutors' Office said Thursday that they have indicted three on murder charges in connection with the death of the baby: A hospital director surnamed Yoon, a surgeon surnamed Shim and the YouTuber surnamed Kwon. Two brokers who introduced patients to the hospital were charged with violating the Medical Service Act.
According to the prosecutors, the baby was allegedly born alive through a C-section and later placed in a freezer.
"We will do our utmost to ensure that all profits obtained through this crime are fully confiscated, to send a strong message against such inhumane acts driven by financial gain and a disregard for life," the prosecutors said in a statement.
The case came to public attention in June last year when Kwon uploaded the video saying she had received an abortion at 36 weeks, considered full-term under medical guidelines. Police found that the still alive when it was removed, and the hospital director and surgeon then allegedly placed the newborn under a surgical drape and put it into a freezer, where it died.
Prosecutors said hospital staff attempted to conceal the incident by falsifying Kwon's medical records. They recorded symptoms such as abdominal pain and bleeding to make it look like a stillbirth. A false diagnosis was also issued.
The investigation also uncovered a wider illegal abortion scheme.
From August 2022 to July 2023, the hospital allegedly performed over 500 illegal abortions arranged through brokers, earning nearly 1.5 billion won ($1.09 million) in total.
Abortion remains in a legal gray area in South Korea.
In April 2019, the Constitutional Court ruled the country's criminalization of all abortions unconstitutional. However, the National Assembly has yet to enact a new law governing abortions to legalize it.
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