According to experts, revision surgeries for liposuction are relatively common, particularly for areas such as the thighs, abdomen, and upper arms, which have higher rates of reoperation. (Image courtesy of Pixabay/CCL)
SEOUL, Feb. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — A South Korean court has acquitted a surgeon of medical negligence in the death of a Hong Kong woman during a liposuction procedure, citing a lack of definitive causation. However, the court imposed a fine for unlawfully attracting foreign patients without proper registration.
The Seoul Central District Court on Monday ruled that the surgeon, identified as A, was not criminally liable for the death of 39-year-old Bonnie Evita Law, the granddaughter of a prominent Hong Kong textile tycoon.
Law had undergone liposuction at A’s clinic in Seoul’s affluent Gangnam district in January 2020 when she experienced a sudden drop in oxygen saturation levels and suffered severe complications. She was transported to a hospital but was pronounced dead the same day.
Judge Kang Kyung-mook imposed a fine of 3 million won (approximately $2,070) on A for violating South Korea’s Medical Overseas Expansion and Foreign Patient Attraction Support Act by failing to register as a provider for international patients. A clinic consultant, identified as B, received an identical fine.
The court found that while A had breached the duty of patient monitoring during the anesthesia process, the prosecution failed to establish a direct causal link between the alleged negligence and Law’s death, leading to the acquittal on the manslaughter charge.
Additionally, B had been accused of forging Law’s surgical consent form, but the court ruled there was insufficient evidence to support the allegation, resulting in a not-guilty verdict on that charge as well.
South Korean authorities launched an investigation into the case following Law’s death, scrutinizing the clinic’s handling of consent procedures and anesthesia administration. Prosecutors argued that A’s negligence contributed to the fatal outcome, but the court ultimately disagreed with their assessment.
The ruling underscores the challenges in securing convictions for medical malpractice in South Korea, where courts often require indisputable proof of causation between a doctor’s actions and a patient’s death. Prosecutors may appeal the verdict, seeking a reassessment of the case in a higher court.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
