[2026 National Assembly Audit] "They Didn't Know Two Patients Had Died"... Minister Jung: "Strengthen Disclosure of Medical Institution Information"

22 emergency dispatches and 13 ER transfers at Gangnam dental clinic over three years
Rep. Lee So-hee: "Hospitals are awash in advertising, but there's no patient safety information"

Regarding the deaths of two patients in succession at a dental clinic in Gangnam, Seoul, Minister of Health and Welfare Jung Eun-kyung said, "I will give further thought to how we can strengthen patients' right to know, particularly by providing information on the quality of services at medical institutions."

Jeong Eunkyung, Minister of Health and Welfare, answers a question from People Power Party lawmaker Lee Sohee during a parliamentary audit by the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee on the 8th. Photo: National Assembly TV.

At the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee's audit on the 8th, the successive deaths at Dental Clinic A in Seoul and the disclosure of information related to patient safety came under scrutiny.

Rep. Lee So-hee of the People Power Party asked Son Dong-guk, the clinic's director and a witness at the hearing, to confirm that two patients had died, one in December 2025 and the other in August 2026. Son said, "I will address the areas that need improvement and take responsibility where I must."

Rep. Lee also showed footage of an advertising shoot posted on Dental Clinic A's YouTube channel three days after the second patient's death and pressed Son, asking, "Did you post the video even though you knew about the patient's death? Were you trying to cover up the incident and clean up your image?" Son replied, "Posting the video was wrong. I would like to take this opportunity to apologize."

According to materials presented by Rep. Lee, over the past three years, emergency responders were dispatched to Dental Clinic A 22 times, 13 people were taken to emergency rooms, and 176 complaints were filed. The clinic had 79 doctors work there over the past four years, and about half of them worked for less than six months.

However, in footage from the clinic presented by Rep. Lee, patients visiting the facility did not even know that there had been a fatal incident. A bereaved family member who appeared as a witness said, "My mother chose the clinic after looking at YouTube and blogs, and trusted it because its website emphasized expertise and safety. Beyond the positive information the clinic chose to present, information about patient safety was not available anywhere," the family member lamented.

Rep. Lee asked Minister Jung, "There is an abundance of advertising that hospitals want to show, but it is difficult for patients to find information anywhere that would help them assess safety. How will you address this imbalance?" She added "Patients receiving treatments such as implants, which require ongoing follow-up care, at a dental clinic where 79 doctors have worked do not even know who will be responsible for their treatment through to completion ," she pointed out.

Rep. Lee also referred to Minister Jung's earlier response that "careful review is needed" regarding the disclosure of records of medical negligence for which convictions have been finalized, saying, "Even while investigations are underway, hospitals continue to promote themselves and patients continue to choose them for care. If you are cautious about disclosing records of medical negligence for which convictions have been finalized, then, along with measures to ensure patients' right to choose, please report before the comprehensive audit on the scope of safety information to be provided to patients, how it will be verified, and the implementation plan for providing that information," she demanded.

Minister Jung said, "There is a need to expand efforts concerning medical advertising, as well as self-regulation and self-correction within professional groups. I will review institutional measures and report back."

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