Controversy arises over doctor's handling of North Korean defector
By Kim Hyo-jin
Kim Jong-dae
Controversy is growing over a lawmaker’s criticism of Lee Cook-jong, the doctor who revealed hygiene and nutrition problems of a North Korean soldier who defected, after treating him.
Rep. Kim Jong-dae of the minor opposition Justice Party criticized Lee for violating the Medical Law that bans doctors from disclosing personal information about patients.
“I can’t keep in silence when a respected doctor took an action against his duty,” he wrote on Facebook, Wednesday.
“Shootings at Panmunjom are well-known so it’s natural the people and media pay a lot of attention but it is enough for the doctor to explain the process of the operation and the patient’s condition.”
Kim asked if Lee really had to unveil details of the soldier’s condition.
“The drastic image of a person’s body contaminated by excrement and parasites shocked our society, and the people’s fear and aversion went out of control,” he said, noting the sales of anti-parasitic drugs soared throughout the country after Lee’s press conference.
“It’s not only against courtesy for the patient but also a possible violation of the Medical Law.”
Lee Cook-jong
Lee is the lead surgeon at Ajou University Medical Center who performed two operations on a North Korean soldier flown to the hospital by helicopter, Nov. 13, after he fled to South Korea under fire from other North Korean soldiers.
During the first briefing held Nov. 15, Lee said he found dozens of flesh-colored parasites, some of which were as long as 27 centimeters, in the man’s digestive tract, along with kernels of corn, hinting at the food and hygiene situation for North Koreans.
Lee then said, “In my over-20-year-long career as a surgeon, I have only seen something like this in a textbook.”
Lee responded to Kim’s criticism in the second briefing, Wednesday, saying he feels “devastated” by the ongoing controversy.
“Doctors do not take it easy on their patients,” he told reporters in the hint of upsetting feelings.
“I don’t think I can overcome this complicated situation where words make words as I’m just a person with knives, and a person specialized in a very simple yet highly professional job.”
He added, “A newly established hospital like us, not one of big five hospitals in Seoul, has no power when negative opinions come from outside.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Ha Tae-keung of the minor opposition Bareun Party spoke in defense of the surgeon while calling for Kim to apologize for his words.
“Lee is a savior of the soldier shot five times but Kim insulted the surgeon by calling him a terrorist,” he said during a party meeting.
He denounced Kim for being “indifferent” to the human rights situation in North Korea, saying, “He may have approached it with a view of personal privacy. However, parasites are not just a personal matter but an issue for all North Korean citizens.”
The controversy was fueled after Kim said Lee’s first briefing was inappropriate in an earlier Facebook post, Friday. He wrote Lee committed a “terrorist act against someone’s personality” by revealing details of the soldier’s health.
He said Lee stepped over the line for protecting the sanctity of life and ignored his social responsibility and medical ethics.