Police investigate death of patient at psychiatric hospital run by celebrity doctor

Social Affairs

Police investigate death of patient at psychiatric hospital run by celebrity doctor

Published: 30 Jul. 2024, 18:38

LEE SOO-JUNG
lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr

A nursing assistant and caregiver restrain a patient on the bed in a psychiatric hospital in Bucheon, Gyeonggi, on May 27. [YONHAP]

Police are investigating the death of a patient at a psychiatric hospital in Gyeonggi run by a well-known doctor.

The Bucheon Wonmi Police Precinct said Monday that the patient’s relatives filed a criminal complaint against six medical professionals last month. They reportedly accused them of abandoning a patient and occupational negligence.

The psychiatric hospital was later revealed to be run by Yang Jae-woong, a doctor who became famous after appearing in television shows and later as the fiance of a popular idol-turned-actor.

On May 27, the patient — a 33-year-old woman — died at around 3:30 a.m. at the psychiatric hospital in Bucheon, Gyeonggi. She had been hospitalized to treat her addiction to weight-loss pills.

According to the police, the patient had trouble with her bowel movements and experienced intermittent abdominal pain after her admission to the hospital. The patient was alleged to have suffered from a severe stomachache a day before her death.

In surveillance camera footage obtained by police, a nursing assistant and caregiver made the patient consume a tranquilizer and restrained her hands, legs and upper torso by tying her to a bed.

The two medical staff then left the room, leaving the patient alone on the bed.

About two hours later, the patient — with a bleeding nose and inflated abdomen — escaped from the bondage and fainted. She was later pronounced dead.

The National Forensic Service assessed that the patient might have died from an intestinal pseudo-obstruction after an autopsy.

A brother of the patient told Yonhap News Agency on Monday that his sister died of “poor treatment at the hospital.” He added that the family had sent her to Yang’s hospital, believing in the doctor's public reputation.

Psychiatrist Yang Jae-woong [SCREEN CAPTURE]

On Tuesday, Yang apologized to the patient's family in a statement issued by his agency, Mystic Story.

He added that he takes the death very seriously as head of the hospital.

He said the hospital and its staff have been cooperating with the ongoing investigation by providing video footage and the patient's medical records. He added that he would "fulfill his responsibility according to medical and legal judgments."

After the incident surfaced, Yang’s fiancée, Hani, a former member of girl group EXID, reportedly became the subject of a public backlash.

Hundreds of social media users commented on her Instagram post and asked her to "reconsider the marriage." Some also took issue with Yang's announcement of their upcoming nuptials in a television program aired on July 8.

BY HAN YOUNG-HYE, LEE SOO-JUNG [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]