S. Korea, China at Odds Over Diplomats Death
By Yoon Won-sup
Staff Reporter
Seoul and Beijing are at odds over the controversial death of a Korean diplomat who died last month during treatment at a clinic known as V Clinic in Beijing.
Whang Joung-il, 52, minister of the Korean Embassy in Beijing, died on July 29 while being treated for apparent food poisoning. An autopsy was performed on the body earlier this month with a South Korean doctor present.
He suffered severe stomachache after eating a sandwich and died after being given an injection of Ringer's solution.
The embassy concluded Whang died due to a Chinese doctor's negligence and raised questions about the method used to treat Whang.
The embassy said there were signs that the doctor did not perform basic tests to see if the patient was allergic to certain types of drugs.
However, Beijing is merely protecting the doctor involved, saying the patient was responsible for his death as he chose an unqualified clinic.
Chinese government officials said that the clinic was not rated as a top-class medical facility.
In response, the Korean government said that V Clinic is a well-advertised and expensive clinic frequented by many foreigners.
Beijing said there are two kinds of clinics in China: One is a state-run non-profit kind; the other is private-run. So it is difficult to maintain a watchful eye over the private clinics such as V Clinic, which are foreign-operated.
The Chinese government added the high level of hospital expenses does not guarantee quality medical service.
Seoul's response was that the advertisement, which describes the V Clinic as the best medical facility available, is completely incorrect, and the Chinese government is responsible for misleading advertising.
V Clinic is designated as an official clinic where Chinese people can undergo physical checkups before immigrating to Canada. Some senior Chinese government officials also reportedly have connections with V Clinic.
China has recently suffered a series of problems arising from the use of contaminated medicines provided by unscrupulous manufacturers.