Sexual assaults at Pusan National University Hospital to be investigated

By Lee Kyung-min

The National Human Rights Council (NHRC) will investigate Pusan National University Hospital (PNUP), where a professor assaulted 11 medical residents over the past two years, it said Thursday.

A subcommittee under the human rights watchdog said it will question the suspect and other witnesses.

“We decided to conduct an investigation, as the alleged victims are believed to be in a position where they cannot disobey their mentor,” it said.

“We also considered the suspected abuser attempted to downplay the gravity of the case and told the victims not to raise the issue further.”

The decision was prompted by allegations the professor specializing in surgery asked victims and their parents to file a petition not to punish him.

According to police in Busan, 10 out of 11 victims filed a petition, Tuesday, asking for leniency for the professor, a notable change in stance given all their earlier statements were consistent in demanding harsh punishment for him.

The victims first reported the assaults to the school in August and demanded he be dismissed immediately. But the school only suspended the professor for three months.

The abuse was made public last week by Rep. Yoo Eun-hye of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea when she disclosed pictures of the alleged victims whose bodies were severely bruised.

The professor, according to Yoo, hit the residents out in public and habitually punched them in the head.

In a photo obtained by Yoo, the victims’ thighs, shins and buttocks were severely bruised. Some had their eardrums ruptured by the professor’s fists.

Police requested an arrest warrant for the professor.