By Lee Kyung-min
The prosecution on Friday launched an investigation into a number of top plastic surgery clinics in Gangnam, southern Seoul, over allegations that they offered kickbacks to brokers in exchange for attracting Chinese customers.
The prosecution located 10 such brokers and imposed travel bans on them.
Three hospitals in Seocho, southern Seoul, were raided on Thursday and their patient records were confiscated. Hospital workers were called in for questioning, the prosecution said.
The moves came at the request of Chinese authorities that sought to deter a growing mood of antipathy against Korean plastic surgeons following a series of their citizens’ deaths due to medical malpractice here, the prosecution said.
The prosecution suspects the brokers received half the amount paid by patients they directed to the clinics.
The prosecution suspects the clinics might have committed accounting fraud, adding any irregularity regarding tax reporting will come under their scrutiny.
More than 10 surgeons perform surgery at each clinic, thus the number of brokers involved in the alleged scheme needing to be questioned will increase, the prosecution said.
Last year, dozens of Chinese women died in Korea during surgery including one who was declared brain dead after undergoing facial bone contouring on Jan. 27.
At the time, in a broader attempt to prevent such malpractice, a group of lawmakers submitted a bill to the National Assembly mandating that all hospitals set up cameras in operating theaters to record all surgical procedures to reduce or prevent instances of such malpractice.