Home > National > Social Affairs

Daegu hospital apologizes after nurse uploads photos mocking newborn babies

Published: 06 Apr. 2025, 14:29 Updated: 06 Apr. 2025, 14:47

A nurse working for the Daegu Catholic University Medical Center holds up a baby with the caption ″I’m itching to let one fall″ in a social media post that began circulating on Apr. 1. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Daegu Catholic University Medical Center issued a public apology video after a nurse working in its neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) posted content scorning newborn babies on social media.

Kim Yoon-young, president of the hospital, released a video statement on Saturday, acknowledging the incident and expressing regret.

“I sincerely apologize for the deep concern caused by the inappropriate conduct of a nurse in our NICU,” Kim said. “In particular, I offer my heartfelt apologies to the parents who entrusted us with caring for their precious children and have been deeply hurt and shocked by this incident.”

Kim confirmed that the nurse had uploaded photos of newborns along with inappropriate captions to her personal social media account.

“It has been verified that the nurse posted photos of newborns with improper comments,” said Kim. “All members of our hospital staff feel a deep sense of responsibility. Such behavior cannot be justified under any circumstances.”

The controversy began when the nurse, formerly employed in the NICU, posted several photos to her social media account while on duty. In some images, the nurse held newborns in her arms or on her lap.

Captions included phrases such as “I’m itching to let one fall” and “My anger issues are rising,” along with “What time is it? Please just sleep already,” posted with a close-up photo of a baby’s face.

The photos began circulating on parenting forums and online communities on Apr. 1, quickly drawing public outrage. Given the critical and vulnerable condition of NICU patients, who often include premature and low birthweight infants, the nurse’s actions were widely condemned as highly inappropriate.

The father of one of the infants has since filed a police complaint against both the nurse and the hospital president. The Daegu Metropolitan Police Agency has booked both individuals on suspicion of child abuse and is currently investigating the case.

The hospital said it had immediately removed the nurse from her duties and decided on severe disciplinary measures. Kim said that the hospital is cooperating fully with the ongoing investigations by the police and health authorities.

“We understand the pain and shock this has caused to parents and the public, and we will do our utmost to address it,” Kim said.

On Thursday, Kim acknowledged the hospital’s fault and issued an earlier apology to the public, including the parents of affected infants.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.

BY BAE JAE-SUNG [[email protected]]