The National Human Rights Commission has requested an investigation into Yang Jae-woong (43), a psychiatrist and broadcaster who operates a hospital where a patient died. Yang's side noted, “We plan to proceed with the objection procedure in accordance with relevant procedures.”

Yang Jae Woong, a broadcaster and a specialist in mental health medicine, attends the comprehensive National Assembly inspection on health and welfare held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 23rd, listening to questions from lawmakers regarding the patient death incident that occurred at his hospital. /Courtesy of News1

LKB & Partners, the law firm representing Yang, issued a statement on the 20th, stating, “The appropriateness of the isolation and coercion measures for the patient and the illegality of those procedures are currently under investigation by the police. It is difficult to conclude that they were inappropriate and procedurally problematic based solely on the Human Rights Commission's investigation and decision, which does not have compulsory investigative authority.” LKB's position is that there are errors in the contents of the Human Rights Commission’s investigation.

At a hospital in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, where Yang serves as the director, a woman in her 30s, referred to as A, died 17 days after being placed under protective hospitalization on May 27, last year. The bereaved family claimed that A was unjustly isolated and coerced during her hospitalization and filed a complaint with the Human Rights Commission.

After investigation, the Human Rights Commission reported that there had been fraudulent writing or complicity in medical records, and requested an investigation of five individuals, including Yang, the primary doctor, the on-duty physician, a nurse, and a nurse's aide, to the Supreme Public Prosecutors' Office.

LKB explained regarding the allegations of fraudulent writing, “Given the nature of psychiatric hospitals, the primary doctor knows the patient's condition best, so even after working hours, the primary doctor makes decisions regarding the patient’s care. However, after working hours, the on-duty physician is designated, so it was recorded in the medical records that the on-duty physician performed the relevant tasks.”

They also claimed that reports from the media stating that isolation and coercion were carried out without a doctor's orders are not true, adding, “The part that the Human Rights Commission has requested for investigation concerns the fraudulent writing of medical records.”