Investigation of the patient's death... NHRC requested the prosecution to investigate Yang Jae-woong Hospital
Mar 19, 2025
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The National Human Rights Commission said on the 19th that it had requested the Supreme Prosecutors' Office to investigate five people, including Yang Jae-woong, after judging that they were suspected of ordering and assisting false medical records.
The case became controversial after a shocking incident in May last year in which a female patient in her 30s died with her hands tied at a hospital where Yang Jae-woong was the CEO.
Patient A, who died, trusted Yang Jae-woong through broadcasting and was hospitalized to treat diet drug addiction, but an autopsy showed that he died of acute intestinal obstruction. The bereaved family took issue with the fact that the medical staff did not take appropriate measures and tied their hands and feet even though A complained of extreme pain by knocking on the door, and filed a criminal complaint with the National Human Rights Commission on charges of abandonment and professional negligence.
As a result of the Human Rights Commission's investigation, it was found that the hospital falsely prepared medical records. In particular, even though A was compulsive twice during hospitalization (the act of forcibly tying the patient's body), the medical records stated that the doctor on duty ordered it, but it was confirmed that the doctor actually ordered it. In addition, it was revealed that the nurse falsely recorded it as if she had been instructed by a doctor on duty.
Hospital medical staff admitted that such false writing was a long-standing practice, and the NHRC judged that it was impossible without Yang Jae-woong's instructions or acquiescence. In addition, the hospital considered that A's condition was not closely identified and that he/she was forced to quarantine and obsess over it.
The medical records stated that A showed aggressive behavior, but the fact that CCTV footage containing the information did not exist also added to the suspicion. The Human Rights Commission recommended Yang Jae-woong to violate quarantine and coercion guidelines, conduct job training related to false medical records, and clarify the work regulations for on-call medical personnel. In addition, Bucheon City, where the hospital is located, requested thorough guidance and supervision, and recommended the Ministry of Health and Welfare to revise the law to make face-to-face treatment of psychiatrists mandatory when compulsive psychiatric inpatients are implemented.
Meanwhile, Yang Jae-woong appeared as a witness at the parliamentary audit of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee in October last year, but when asked if he recognized the hospital's negligence, he expressed his position that `I do not admit it.' After the incident, he stopped all broadcasting activities, and his wedding plans with his girlfriend, Hani (An Hee-yeon), a former member of the group EXID, have been postponed.
mj.cho@sportschosun.com
