Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
Doctor jailed for killing baby who 'burst out crying' during abortion
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By Jung Min-ho
By Jung Min-ho
An obstetrician has been sentenced to three years and six months in prison for killing a baby who “burst out crying” during abortion procedures.
The Seoul Central District Court on Friday convicted the doctor, 65, surnamed Yun, of killing a 34-week-old baby and suspended Yun's medical license for three years.
“Medical staff who participated in the operation have consistently said they heard the baby crying,” a three-judge panel of the court said in a statement. “It is clear that the doctor killed the baby, who was born alive.”
Yun, who ran a maternity clinic in Seoul, received 28 million won ($23,000) for the operation from the mother of a pregnant girl, 16. Yun was later indicted on murder charges for putting the live baby in a bucket of water.
Last year, the Constitutional Court ruled that the law banning abortion was unconstitutional and demanded the National Assembly revise it by the end of 2020.
The court ruled that abortion before 22 weeks of pregnancy should be decriminalized, saying women's rights to self-determination outweighs a fetus' right to life.