Abortion at 36 Weeks: Prosecutors Seek Six-Year Prison Sentence for Hospital Director

Prosecution Requests Dismissal of Appeal, "Uphold Original Ruling"

Hospital Director Pleads for Leniency, "Allow Me to Live in Repentance"

Prosecutors have sought a six-year prison sentence, the same as the original sentence, in the appeal trial of a hospital director who was brought to court for performing an abortion on a woman in her 36th week of pregnancy.

According to Yonhap News Agency on June 23, prosecutors requested the Seoul High Court's Criminal Division 5 (Presiding Judge Kim Yongseok) impose this sentence during the final hearing of the appeal trial for hospital director Yoon, who has been charged with murder and other offenses.

Court. The Asia Business Daily DB

For the mother, Kwon, prosecutors asked the court to uphold the original sentence of three years in prison suspended for five years and 200 hours of community service, and to dismiss the defendants' appeals. For the surgeon, Sim, who was tried alongside Yoon, prosecutors sought a four-year prison sentence.

The defense attorney for Yoon argued that "there is a lack of social and legislative consensus on the scope of permissible abortion, and the legal and institutional framework is insufficient," and requested the court to respect Yoon's decision-making authority and hand down a suspended prison sentence.

In his final statement, Yoon said, "I bow my head in apology to the life that could not see the light of the world because of me," adding, "For the rest of my life, I want to devote myself to helping single mothers and children," and appealed for leniency.

Kwon, the mother, stated, "I am fully aware of how grave my wrongdoing was, and I apologize for causing public controversy."

Yoon and the surgeon stand accused of performing a cesarean section on Kwon, who was 34 to 36 weeks pregnant in June 2024, delivering the fetus, then covering the newborn with a prepared square cloth and placing it in a freezer, resulting in its death.

It has been found that between August 2022 and July 2024, Yoon operated three inpatient rooms and one operating room, admitting only patients seeking abortions. Sim is known to have performed the surgeries, receiving several hundred thousand won per operation.

Yoon is also accused of receiving a total of 1.46 billion won from brokers who introduced 527 patients during this period.

The case began when Kwon posted a video titled "Total Surgery Cost 9 Million Won, 120 Hours of Hell." As controversy over the video erupted, the Ministry of Health and Welfare requested a police investigation into the YouTuber and the doctor who performed the abortion on the fetus in July 2024.

Although the crime of abortion was abolished by the 2019 Constitutional Court ruling of unconstitutionality, the first trial court recognized the charge of murder, ruling that the fetus had become a "living person" after being artificially delivered at a stage when it was viable.

Meanwhile, the sentencing in the appeal trial is scheduled for July 23.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.