Hole found on Shin's intestine

Visitors read a book about the late singer Shin Hae-chul at Kyobo Book Center in central Seoul, Sunday. Shin’s albums and songs, as well as publications about the signer became immensely popular after his death, which is thought to have been caused by a doctor’s error, on Oct. 27. / Yonhap

By Kim Se-jeong

The family of the late singer Shin Hae-chul has presented crucial evidence suggesting that Shin’s death was caused by medical malpractice during an operation.

Police said Sunday they are examining medical records the family received from Asan Medical Center, where Shin arrived unconscious days after having a surgery in a different hospital.

According to the documents, a surgeon from the medical center found a “perforation” in his small intestine, which was believed to have been created following a surgery on Oct. 17 at Seoul Sky Hospital in Songpa-gu, southeastern Seoul.

The records show that the hole was one centimeter wide, located 70-80 centimeters along his small intestine. Water and food waste were flowing out from the hole, causing peritonitis and inflammation.

An autopsy is scheduled for today.

Shin arrived at the medical center on Oct. 22, unconscious. Surgery was undertaken to find the cause of this. Following a cardiac arrest in the operating theater he was taken to an intensive care unit where he was pronounced dead on Oct. 27.

The direct cause was cerebral hypoxia ― oxygen failing to reach the brain.

Shin’s family cancelled the cremation of his body, which was scheduled for last Friday, to find out the underlying cause of his death.

On Saturday, Shin’s wife Yoon Won-hee filed a suit against Seoul Sky Hospital’s owner and chief surgeon Kang Se-hoon for medical malpractice. Kang treated Shin for intestinal adhesions and obstruction on Oct. 17. Previously Shin also had an adjustable lap-band operation, a type of weight loss surgery, under Kang in 2009.

Medical experts say intestinal adhesions are common for abdominal surgery patients. It can happen right after the surgery or several years after, which appears to be the case for Shin.

On Saturday, Yoon submitted the medical records to the police.

On Oct. 18, one day after Shin was treated for adhesions and obstruction, he was released from the hospital, but was soon hospitalized again due to excruciating pain. On Oct. 22, he was transferred to Asan Medical Center.

The question is whether Kang perforated the intestines during the Oct. 17 operation, something his family and agency, KCA Entertainment, claim. The police raided Seoul Sky Hospital, Saturday, and are currently reviewing medical records from Oct 17 to 22.

The family of Shin and his agency KCA Entertainment claim Kang’s malpractice was evident, saying the surgeon operated on the stomach without the family’s consent.

“The day after the surgery (Oct. 18), the doctor told me and my husband that he had folded part of the stomach again to reduce the size of the stomach. We were outraged because he said nothing about it in advance. But the doctor explained he felt that he needed to do it,” Yoon said.

Meanwhile, the cable channel JTBC said the surgeon Kang did not show up for a planned recording of a show, “Doctors Competition” on Oct. 27. He is one of the 11 panelists advising patients. Producers of the show said demand from viewers for Kang to be removed from the panel is growing.