'36-Week Fetus Murder' Doctor, Mother, Broker, and Others Head to Court

[Financial News] A total of five individuals, including the doctor, mother, and broker involved in the so-called '36-week fetus murder' case, will stand trial. 
Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office Criminal Division 3 (Chief Prosecutor Jeong Hyun) announced on the 23rd that they have indicted hospital director Yoon Mo and surgeon Shim Mo on charges of murder and violation of medical practice. Additionally, they have indicted a 20-year-old mother, Kwon Mo, who underwent an abortion, on charges of murder, and two brokers who introduced patients to the hospital on charges of violating medical law.
According to the prosecution, Yoon is accused of receiving 1.46 billion won in surgery fees by arranging 527 mothers seeking abortions through brokers from August 2022 to July last year. Yoon was found to have performed abortions for mothers in advanced stages of pregnancy (24 weeks or more, 59 individuals) or those who did not want medical records, charging them hundreds of thousands of won. When Yoon could no longer perform surgeries due to age, he had university hospital doctor Shim, whom he met through an acquaintance, perform the abortions.
Yoon also decided to earn income through abortions while facing difficulties in hospital management, and after receiving approval to close 'wards and operating rooms,' he admitted only abortion patients. Shim was also confirmed to have repeatedly performed abortions, receiving tens of thousands of won per case without special motivation. Additionally, the two brokers are accused of introducing a total of 527 patients to Yoon and receiving a total of 312 million won in return.
Yoon and Shim are also the main culprits in the '36-week fetus murder' case, where they delivered a 36-week-old fetus by cesarean section in June last year and then killed it by placing it in a freezer. According to the current Mother and Child Health Act, abortions after 24 weeks of pregnancy are illegal. However, due to the constitutional court's decision of unconstitutionality regarding the criminal abortion law in April 2019, there is no punishment regulation.
A prosecution official stated, "We will ensure that all profits obtained from this inhumane crime, which disregarded life, are confiscated to sound an alarm, and we will do our best to strictly punish crimes that threaten the life and body of the public."
kyu0705@fnnews.com Kim Dong-kyu Reporter