Hospital Officials Face Hearing Over Late-Term Abortion Case

SEOUL: A Seoul court convened on Wednesday to evaluate the issuance of arrest warrants for a hospital director and a surgeon implicated in performing an abortion on a 36-week-old fetus. The proceedings center on potential murder charges, drawing significant attention due to the advanced stage of pregnancy involved. According to Yonhap News Agency, the individuals in question are the head of an obstetrics and gynecology hospital, identified by the surname Yoon, and an operating surgeon, surnamed Shim. Both men, in their 70s and 60s respectively, attended the hearing at the Seoul Central District Court. Upon exiting, they did not respond to inquiries from the press regarding their plea status concerning the murder charges. The legal scrutiny follows an investigation initiated by police in June, after a woman in her 20s released a YouTube video detailing her experience of undergoing an abortion at such a late stage of pregnancy. The case has prompted the police to also pursue murder charges against the woman, along with charges of abetting murder against four additional medical staff members. Authorities allege that the fetus was alive at the time of removal, thus constituting a potential murder. The court's decision on whether to approve the arrest warrants for Yoon and Shim is anticipated imminently. This case unfolds in the context of a 2019 Constitutional Court ruling that declared the criminal code banning abortion unconstitutional, yet legislative revisions have yet to be enacted by the National Assembly. The police's argument hinges on the fetus's viability outside the womb, a factor they claim elevates the act to murder.