Psychiatrist and TV personality Yang Jae-woong is effectively winding down operations at his hospital in Bucheon, Gyeonggi, following a fatal patient incident and allegations of unlicensed medical practice that triggered administrative sanctions. With scrutiny intensifying, the facility has begun steps toward closure.
According to The Hankyoreh on Dec. 8, the hospital recently transferred inpatients to other facilities in stages. Staff have been telling guardians and prospective patients inquiring about admissions that they are "aiming to close by the end of December" while directing them to nearby hospitals, signaling a de facto end to business.
The Bucheon City Public Health Center issued a preliminary notice of a three-month business suspension after finding evidence of violations of Article 27 of the Medical Service Act and unlicensed practice. The hospital could opt to pay a fine in lieu of suspension and remain open, but as of now no official closure filing has been submitted.
The controversy stems from a death in May 2024. A woman in her 30s who was hospitalized for treatment of diet pill addiction died 17 days after admission from acute pseudo-obstruction of the intestine. The bereaved family filed a criminal complaint, arguing that "the patient repeatedly reported severe abdominal pain, yet the hospital failed to provide appropriate emergency care and instead confined and restrained her in a seclusion room, effectively leaving her unattended."
Prosecutors reportedly found that the attending physician downplayed the patient's abdominal pain and ordered psychotropic medication, while some nurses administered drugs on their own without clear orders. The patient spent extended hours in an isolation room with her hands and feet restrained, then rapidly deteriorated and died, according to the investigation.
The Bucheon branch of the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office indicted the attending physician, identified as A, on charges including involuntary manslaughter through professional negligence and indicted four other medical staff, including a nurse identified as B, without detention. During the probe, additional allegations surfaced, including unlicensed medical acts, illegal isolation and restraint, and inadequate monitoring for adverse reactions. Seven medical workers, including Yang Jae-woong, remain under investigation.
Because Yang was a "star doctor" familiar to the public through numerous TV shows, the fallout was bigger. He has been publicly dating Hani of EXID since 2022, and the two reportedly postponed their planned September 2023 wedding after news of the hospital death broke. At the time, Hani withdrew from scheduled broadcasts and paused activities, with the aftershocks spilling into the entertainment scene.
After the incident came to light, Yang's side stated, "We offer our deepest apologies to the deceased and the bereaved family for the tragic event that occurred during hospitalization," adding, "The medical staff are devastated as well." But with the criminal trial and administrative penalties proceeding in parallel, the hospital where Yang served as director now appears headed for closure.