The National Human Rights Commission of Korea has requested an investigation into the death of a patient at a hospital operated by psychiatrist and broadcaster Yang Jae-woong. In response, Yang's side has spoken out.

The law firm LKB Partners, representing Yang Jae-woong, issued a statement on the 20th, saying, "The appropriateness of the isolation and coercive measures taken against the patient and the legality of the procedures are currently under investigation by the police, and it is difficult to confirm that the Human Rights Commission's investigation found that these were inappropriate or procedurally problematic without the related processes being subject to objection." They also noted that "there are errors in the content of the investigation by the Human Rights Commission, and we plan to pursue administrative objection procedures accordingly regarding the decision of the Human Rights Commission."

Earlier, in May last year, a woman identified as A died at a hospital in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, where Yang Jae-woong served as the hospital director. A was hospitalized for treatment of diet pill addiction and passed away 17 days later. The family claimed that the hospital neglected A, leading to her death, and reported Yang Jae-woong and hospital officials for involuntary manslaughter and professional negligence.

Subsequently, the Bucheon Wonmi Police Station stated that it had not received the evaluation and consultation results requested from the Korean Medical Association (KMA) at the end of October last year and suspended the investigation in mid-January. According to Article 98 of the Police Investigation Regulations, expert evaluations are necessary to conclude investigations on cases such as medical accidents, traffic accidents, and patent infringements, but investigations can be suspended when the evaluations take considerable time.

However, on the 18th, the Human Rights Commission reported that there were acts of falsification or complicity in the medical records and requested an investigation of five individuals, including Yang Jae-woong, the primary physician, the on-call doctor, and nursing staff, to the Supreme Public Prosecutors' Office.

According to the Human Rights Commission, the hospital isolated A four times and implemented coercive measures twice. On the day of her death, she was coerced in the early morning and could come out of the isolation room thanks to emergency responders. At that time, A was in a state of unconsciousness, with no pulse, blood pressure, or breathing.

In response, Yang Jae-woong's side stated, "Due to the nature of psychiatric hospitals, the primary physician knows the patient's condition best, so even after business hours, matters regarding that patient are left to the primary physician to make decisions about treatment." They added, "However, outside of business hours, an on-call doctor is separately designated, so the treatment record states that the on-call doctor performed the relevant tasks. Moreover, there is a process in the morning meetings where the primary physician and the on-call doctor discuss the treatment decisions concerning the patient. "

They further noted, "Everyone would agree that it is better for the primary physician to make decisions regarding the patient's treatment than the on-call physician. If the treatment decision was made by the primary physician but recorded as if it were made by the on-call physician in the medical records, and this contradicts current regulations, we will be subject to appropriate penalties."

They also claimed that media reports alleging unauthorized isolation and coercive measures without a doctor's orders are not true, stating, "The part that the Human Rights Commission requested an investigation on relates to the falsification of medical records; regarding the coercive measures, the relevant isolation time was recorded as either 6:51 p.m. or 7 p.m., there was a 23-minute discrepancy regarding the time the patient went to the restroom, it was recorded as '5-point coercion' without instructions from the on-call doctor, and there were no orders or reports for the release of the coercive measures, despite it being documented that they were lifted under the on-call doctor's direction."

They insisted, "Therefore, reports indicating that the Human Rights Commission has requested an investigation concerning unauthorized coercive measures executed without a doctor's orders are not true."

Meanwhile, Yang Jae-woong has suspended his broadcasting activities due to this incident and postponed his marriage to Hanni, a former member of the group EXID, with whom he had promised to marry.

[Photo] OSEN DB, Mystic Story, SNS.

[OSEN]