Needle in ex-president’s body riddle unsolved

By Yun Suh-young

The person who left an acupuncture needle in the body of ex-president Roh Tae-woo remains a mystery a year after it was discovered during a medical examination.

The prosecution said it was closing the case against an unidentified Oriental doctor who mistakenly left the needle in Roh’s body. Last year the ex-president underwent surgery at Seoul National University Hospital to have the needle removed.

Following its discovery, the Association of Korean Oriental Medicine (AKOM) requested an investigation last May to identify the doctor who had practiced acupuncture on Roh.

The prosecution, however, concluded that it was difficult to identify the perpetrator, as Roh and the hospital refused to disclose evidence or the doctor’s name.

“With only surgical records, we cannot distinguish who the practitioner is. Also, the victim doesn’t want to disclose or punish the doctor. In this situation, we decided we could not continue our investigation,” an investigator said.

Roh reportedly had submitted a statement to the prosecution indicating he would not cooperate in the investigation.

The SNU Hospital also refused to provide the needle or other related documents as evidence claiming patient privilege.

The prosecution tried searching for the practitioner through an acupuncture needle manufacturing company but failed.

AKOM suspected that the doctor who practiced the acupuncture was an illegal practitioner, even questioning the possibility of it being Kim Nam-soo, a veteran acupuncturist who does not have an Oriental doctor’s license.

Kim, who has a license for practicing acupuncture, however, denied the allegation.