Police Apologize Over 'ER Search and Seizure,' but Pediatric Emergency Center Chief Resigns

"A personal decision made after careful consideration"
Received no satisfactory answers during meeting with police

Amid continued backlash from the medical community over the search and seizure of Ajou University Hospital's Pediatric Emergency Medical Center, Lee Ji-sook, the center's director, submitted her resignation.

On the 30th, Lee Jisuk, director of Ajou University’s Pediatric Emergency Medical Center, answers reporters’ questions at an emergency press conference held at the Korean Medical Association in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, to condemn the search and seizure of a pediatric emergency room and call for the protection of the right to provide medical care. Yonhap News.

At a joint press conference held on October 30 at the Korean Medical Association building in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, by the Korean Academy of Pediatric Emergency Medicine and the National Council of Pediatric Emergency Medical Centers, Lee said, "I submitted my resignation to the hospital director yesterday." She added, "This resignation is a personal decision I made after careful consideration." She also stressed, "The center is providing care as usual," and "The medical staff's resignations should not be interpreted as collective action for a specific purpose."

The previous day, senior police officials visited Ajou University Hospital and met with the hospital director and Lee. According to Lee, the police acknowledged and apologized for their lack of understanding of emergency medical settings, and expressed sympathy for the pressure and psychological harm experienced by the medical staff.

However, Lee said she had not received a satisfactory explanation of why the search and seizure was carried out or how it was conducted, despite medical staff cooperating with a police investigation in July, when the child patient died, in connection with the child's death.

On September 30, police searched and seized Ajou University Hospital's Pediatric Emergency Medical Center as part of their investigation into the child's death. The medical community strongly protested, saying the search and seizure took place while care was being provided and put patient safety at risk. Police, however, said they had coordinated with the hospital in advance and carried out the search in an unoccupied treatment room, adding that there had been no actual disruption to care.

The issue was also raised at National Assembly audits by the Public Administration and Security Committee on October 13 and the Health and Welfare Committee on October 27. Ham Youngwook, head of the Metropolitan Investigation Division at the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency, appeared at the audit the previous day and said, "I express my deep respect for the dedication of medical staff who work to protect people's lives, and I regret any disruption to medical care." He nevertheless maintained that there had been no problems with the search and seizure procedures themselves.

Following the National Assembly audit, seven of the nine specialists at Ajou University Hospital's Pediatric Emergency Medical Center reportedly informed the hospital that they intended to resign.

The Korean Medical Association strongly condemned the search and seizure of Ajou University Hospital's Pediatric Emergency Medical Center and began a one-person protest. Association President Kim Taekwoo took part in the protest, and Vice President Jwa Hoonjung is scheduled to continue it alone outside the National Police Agency from 9:40 a.m. on October 31.

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