Doctor cleared over botched face surgery

A plastic surgeon who botched a “cheekbone shaving” procedure has been cleared of wrongdoing, after the patient accused him of negligence.

The procedure, carried out in 2011, was to shave the woman’s cheekbones to make her face smaller. But the vibration from the saw that the surgeon, surnamed Park, was using damaged her temporal bone.

The woman had a stroke and continues to have difficulty using her arms and legs. She also reportedly suffers from mental disorders.

On Wednesday, Seoul Central District Court overturned a ruling that found Park, 45, guilty of negligence resulting in injury.

"Park followed common procedures in the operation, and there is a lack of evidence to support that the doctor had purposely made a mistake in using the surgery instruments," the court said in a statement.

The court said it was the first such case involving a surgical saw and that there were no signs that Park could predict or prevent the accident. The court said the saw had passed safety tests.

Following the surgery, the woman, 36, had a cerebral hemorrhage and was unconscious for a day.