South Korean police are investigating the renewed online circulation of surveillance footage from hospitals and clinics, including images of patients receiving treatment and changing clothes, according to local media reports Wednesday.
The footage has resurfaced despite the apprehension last year of four suspects accused of hacking cameras and selling the recordings online.
The National Police Agency assigned the case to the Chungbuk Provincial Police Agency after receiving a request for an investigation from Rep. Heo Jong-sik of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea on Sept. 29.
Heo’s office said it had identified 80 videos from Korean medical facilities circulating on overseas pornography websites.
They included footage from obstetrics and gynecology clinics, plastic surgery clinics, Korean medicine clinics and rehabilitation facilities.
Of them, 21 were believed to have been filmed at a single obstetrics and gynecology clinic in Seoul.
Police previously requested that access to a website carrying the footage be blocked. The recordings have since appeared on other sites, prompting an investigation into how they were redistributed and who was responsible.
Much of the leaked footage is believed to have come from internet protocol cameras, which can transmit video over wired or wireless internet connections.
Heo called for a thorough investigation and international cooperation to track down those responsible.
In Korea, medical facilities performing surgery on patients who are unconscious under general anesthesia or sedation must install cameras in their operating rooms. Recording is required when a patient or guardian requests it, subject to exceptions specified by law.
The requirement aims to deter illegal conduct, including surgery by unqualified individuals, and provide evidence in investigations and medical disputes. Health Ministry rules require closed-circuit cameras rather than internet-connected network cameras in operating rooms.
The operating-room CCTV requirement took effect in September 2023 under an amendment to the Medical Service Act passed in 2021.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
