Called the "Devil king," Shin Hae-chul died more than 10 years ago, but controversy over medical malpractice surrounding his death is still ongoing. The void he left, having defined an era with his music and philosophy, remains hard to fill even as time passes. In particular, because a tragedy arose from surgery performed without consent, anger toward the operating physician has not subsided.
In October 2014, the late Shin Hae-chul visited a hospital complaining of abdominal pain. Although it was reported that the situation was not an emergency at the time, he underwent laparoscopic adhesiolysis of the gastrointestinal tract along with gastric reduction surgery. The problem was the suspicion that this procedure was carried out without sufficient explanation and consent. After the surgery he showed high fever, severe pain and signs of peritonitis, and his condition deteriorated rapidly.
Even after discharge the pain continued, and though he visited the hospital several times, appropriate measures were not taken. Ultimately he collapsed from cardiac arrest 10 days after the surgery and died on Oct. 27 from hypoxic ischemic brain injury. The autopsy confirmed peritonitis, pericarditis and sepsis, and a perforation and foreign material were even found in the pericardium, heightening suspicions of medical negligence.
At the time the bereaved family filed civil and criminal lawsuits against the operating surgeon, Mr. A, saying surgery was performed without sufficient explanation even though it was not an emergency. After a long legal battle, the Supreme Court in 2018 recognized professional negligence causing death and finalized a one-year prison sentence.
But the controversy did not end after the criminal punishment. In the civil lawsuit a damages judgment of about 1.18 billion won was finalized, but the bereaved family claimed that the payment was not actually made. The issue of fulfilling responsibility after the medical accident also came under scrutiny.
Also controversial was the fact that under current law a physician's license can be reapplied for after a certain period following revocation. The bereaved family's legal representative noted that the structure making it difficult for victims of medical accidents to obtain recognition of responsibility remains and emphasized the need for institutional improvement.
Recently the case received renewed attention on broadcasts. Viewers' anger was rekindled as the possibility of procedures unrelated to treatment during the surgery and inadequacies in subsequent responses were again raised. Especially, similar medical accident cases were introduced; a YouTube channel, "Detectives' Chat," which aired in October last year, highlighted an Australian man who died after six operations. The attending physician claimed he was the top authority in the field and that there would have been no other options even if the patient had been in the intensive care unit. The physician was reported to have been the operating surgeon at the time of the death of singer the late Shin Hae-chul, which shocked viewers.
Therefore, it has become more than a personal tragedy and serves as a challenge to the entire medical system. The death of the late Shin Hae-chul remains a "shocking incident" to many, and this broadcast once again raises awareness about medical procedures and accountability.
[Photo] OSEN DB, broadcast screen
[OSEN]