Police raid hospital over rock singer's death

Police raided the hospital on Saturday that had performed surgery on late rock singer Shin Hae-chul on suspicion that alleged medical negligence might have led to his death, officers said.

A day earlier, his wife, only identified by her surname Yoo, filed a complaint with Songpa Police Station against the hospital to look into alleged medical negligence that was blamed for her husband's death after he received an operation for intestinal adhesions. The hospital has strongly denied the allegation.

Police dispatched its officials to the hospital earlier in the day to secure medical records about Shin's operation and hospitalization.

They said they plan to summon hospital officials and refer his autopsy to the state-run forensic agency Monday.

Shin, who represented the Korean rock scene in the 1990s, was pronounced dead Monday, five days after falling into a comma following a massive heart attack, hospital officials said. He was 46 years old.

He received the operation at the hospital on Oct. 17 and was transferred to another general hospital five days later after the heart attack.

His body was supposed to be cremated Friday, but the procession was halted as the bereaved families accepted requests from Shin's colleagues to conduct the autopsy to determine the exact cause of his death.

Shin debuted in 1988 by winning the grand prize at a college music contest with the rock song, "To You." The song, written and composed by Shin, was an instant success that was often played at college festivals.

The versatile musician released more than 30 studio albums and experimented with various genres, ranging from modern rock to jazz and techno.

The singer had been actively campaigning on a wide range of social issues, including the legalization of marijuana and the scrapping of the adultery law, and supported late liberal President Roh Moo-hyun during his 2002 election campaign. (Yonhap)