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Hospital director and surgeon admit to killing fetus during trial hearing

Published: 18 Sep. 2025, 14:49 Updated: 18 Sep. 2025, 19:58

An image of a statue of Justitia, the goddess of justice [KOREA JOONGANG DAILY]

A hospital director and a surgeon accused of killing a near-term fetus after a C-section admitted to all charges during their first trial hearing on Thursday.

The Seoul Central District Court opened the first trial for a hospital director in their 80s, surnamed Yoon, a university hospital surgeon in their 60s, surnamed Shim and the mother in her 20s, surnamed Kwon.

Prosecutors said Yoon and Shim performed a C-section on Kwon, who was 34 to 36 weeks pregnant, in June last year. They allegedly covered the newborn with a cloth prepared in advance and placed it in a freezer, killing it.

Yoon also allegedly recorded false information in Kwon’s medical records, including that she had “bleeding and abdominal pain,” and issued a fake medical certificate to make it appear as a stillbirth.

Prosecutors also charged Yoon with failing to obtain government approval for changes to hospital facilities and with receiving 1.46 billion won ($1 million) from brokers who introduced 527 patients.

During the investigation, Yoon and Shim admitted only to charges other than murder and falsifying records. But at the trial, their attorney said, “They acknowledge all charges.”

Kwon’s lawyer said she paid Yoon 9 million won for an abortion and confirmed that the fetus died as a result, but said she did not conspire to commit murder.

“The surgery was conducted by C-section, but she was not told how the procedure would be carried out,” Kwon’s lawyer wrote in a statement.

The court told Yoon and Shim to review the claim, saying, “If there was no explanation of the surgical method, it could affect sentencing.”

Two brokers who introduced patients to Yoon’s hospital and received a total of 312 million won also admitted to all charges. But they argued that they did not specifically target late-term patients and had only done simple phone tasks, citing those as grounds for leniency.

The court scheduled the second hearing for Nov. 13 at 2 p.m. to question Kwon and hear sentencing witnesses for Yoon and Shim.

“We plan to conclude the trial at the next session," the court said. "Please do not delay since some defendants are in custody.”

The case began after Kwon uploaded a video on YouTube about the abortion that raised suspicions of murder.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare filed a complaint with police in July last year. Prosecutors indicted Yoon and Shim in custody in July and indicted Kwon and the brokers without detention.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY HYEON YE-SEUL [[email protected]]