S. Korean YouTuber indicted with murder over abortion video, baby allegedly born alive and placed in freezer
South Korea's Supreme Prosecutors' Office said on Thursday (July 24) that it has 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 Caesarean operation 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 2024 when Kwon uploaded the video saying she had received an abortion at 36 weeks, considered full-term under medical guidelines.
The South Korean police found that the baby was 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 allegedly recorded symptoms such as abdominal pain and bleeding to make it look like a stillbirth. A false diagnosis was also allegedly 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 (US$1 million) in total.
Abortion remains in a legal grey area in South Korea.
In April 2019, South Korea's Constitutional Court ruled the country's criminalisation of all abortions unconstitutional.
However, the South Korean National Assembly has yet to enact a new law governing abortions to legalise it. - The Korea Herald/ANN
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