Doctor in Gimhae arrested over diverted propofol and falsified records
Version 2: More outlets, including the national news agency, have now reported the case, adding the equivalent of about 560 sleep-endoscopy doses, the 10,980 mg one patient received at 11 clinics, the alleged threats to nursing assistants, and police statements that the doctor denies part of the charges and that the probe will widen.
In short
Police in South Gyeongsang Province have arrested a doctor in his 50s accused of diverting about 28,380 mg of propofol at the hospital he ran in Gimhae between November 2025 and June 2026 and using it himself, while falsifying records and the identities of 33 foreign patients to conceal it. Two nursing assistants, an acquaintance and a patient were also booked without detention and sent to prosecutors, police said. Investigators say they will widen the probe to other clinics.
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Police in South Gyeongsang Province said they arrested a doctor in his 50s and sent him to prosecutors on charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act for habitually using propofol, a controlled anaesthetic, at the hospital he operated in Gimhae. The Gyeongsangnam-do Provincial Police Agency's metropolitan crime investigation unit said the alleged offences took place between November 2025 and June 2026, and that the case went to prosecutors last month. [ 2 , 3 , 6 , 7 ]
According to the police account, the doctor falsified medical records to hide how much propofol he was using, writing prescriptions for patients who did not need them or inflating the amounts recorded. Investigators said he used the personal details of 33 foreign patients without authorisation, with Dong-A Ilbo reporting that he judged those records harder to trace. About 28,380 mg of propofol was diverted outside normal medical use, police said. Kyunghyang Shinmun described that quantity as the equivalent for 500 adults, while Yonhap described it as about 560 sleep-endoscopy doses. [ 2 , 3 , 6 , 7 ]
Police believe most of the diverted propofol was injected by the doctor himself, and said hospital staff statements placed injections in a room at the hospital during patient consultation hours. Yonhap reported that he acknowledges injecting the drug but denies using all of it, while Kyunghyang Shinmun reported that he directed nursing assistants to administer propofol and threatened to dismiss them if they refused. [ 3 , 6 , 7 ]
Four others were booked without detention: two nursing assistants, an acquaintance and a patient. Seoul Economic Daily reported that the nursing assistants injected the doctor during working hours and the acquaintance did so after hours. Yonhap said the patient received about 10,980 mg of propofol at 11 clinics in South Gyeongsang between January and June, at times using as many as 10 bottles a day, and that the drug was given without being reported to the Narcotics Information Management System. Kyunghyang Shinmun described the patient's movement between clinics as “medical shopping”. [ 2 , 6 , 7 ]
Police said they opened the investigation after receiving a tip and then analysed the hospital's medical and narcotics records. Kyunghyang Shinmun reported police plan to link the patient to treatment and rehabilitation through the Korea Association against Drug Abuse, separately from any punishment, and said the hospital had been searched. Police said they will expand the investigation to other medical institutions where over-prescribing was confirmed. A police official urged the public to report illegal use and distribution of medical narcotics, saying the force would work with health authorities so that such drugs are used for their intended purpose. [ 3 , 6 , 7 ]
Why it matters
The case centres on a controlled medical anaesthetic diverted inside the clinic by the doctor running it, with staff and patient records allegedly used to hide the amounts. Police say they will extend the investigation to other medical institutions where over-prescribing was confirmed, which could bring wider scrutiny of how propofol is prescribed and recorded at clinics. The documents describe the arrests and the stated next steps; they do not say how the case or the wider probe will end.
Key facts
- A doctor in his 50s was arrested and sent to prosecutors on charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act for habitually using propofol at the hospital he operated in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province. [ 2 , 3 , 6 , 7 ]
- Police put the alleged offences between November 2025 and June 2026. [ 2 , 3 , 6 , 7 ]
- He is accused of falsifying medical records and writing prescriptions for patients who did not need them, including using the personal details of 33 foreign patients, to conceal his own use. [ 2 , 3 , 6 , 7 ]
- About 28,380 mg of propofol was diverted outside normal medical use, police said; Kyunghyang Shinmun described the quantity as the equivalent for 500 adults and Yonhap as about 560 sleep-endoscopy doses. [ 3 , 6 , 7 ]
- Four others were booked without detention: two nursing assistants, an acquaintance and a patient, and the cases were sent to prosecutors last month. [ 2 , 6 , 7 ]
- Police said the patient received 10,980 mg of propofol at 11 medical institutions in South Gyeongsang between January and June, at times as many as 10 bottles a day. [ 6 , 7 ]
- Police said they plan to expand the investigation to other medical institutions where over-prescribing was confirmed. [ 3 , 6 , 7 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- A doctor in his 50s was arrested over habitual propofol use and falsified medical records at the hospital he ran in Gimhae. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- The alleged offences took place between November 2025 and June 2026, and the case was sent to prosecutors last month, police said. [ 2 , 3 , 6 , 7 ]
- He is accused of falsifying records and using the identities of 33 foreign patients to divert propofol. [ 2 , 3 , 6 , 7 ]
- About 28,380 mg of propofol was diverted, according to police. [ 2 , 3 , 6 , 7 ]
- Four people besides the doctor — two nursing assistants, an acquaintance and a patient — were booked without detention. [ 2 , 6 , 7 ]
- The patient received 10,980 mg of propofol at 11 clinics in South Gyeongsang between January and June, according to police. [ 6 , 7 ]
- Police believe most of the diverted propofol was injected by the doctor himself, including in a hospital room during patient hours. [ 3 , 6 , 7 ]
- Police said they would expand the investigation to other medical institutions where over-prescribing was confirmed. [ 3 , 6 , 7 ]
Still unclear
- Whether the doctor admits the full extent of his propofol use. Yonhap and Seoul Economic Daily say he acknowledges injecting the drug but partially denies the charges, including the amounts or number of injections.
- The name of the hospital and the identities of the doctor and the other people booked. Reports identify the doctor only as a man in his 50s surnamed A, the patient by different surnames in different outlets, and give the location only as Gimhae.
- What the 28,380 mg of propofol amounts to in medical terms. Kyunghyang Shinmun describes it as the equivalent for 500 adults, while Yonhap calls it about 560 sleep-endoscopy doses and Seoul Economic Daily 560 sleep-endoscopy patients.
- Whether other doctors or clinics will face charges, and what administrative measures the hospital may face. The documents say only that police plan to widen the investigation into other institutions where over-prescribing was confirmed.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Newsis reports in a headline that a doctor was arrested over falsified medical records and habitual propofol use. [ 1 ]
- Dong-A Ilbo reports the Gyeongsangnam-do police arrested a doctor in his 50s and booked four others without detention, sending the case to prosecutors last month. [ 2 ]
- Kyunghyang Shinmun reports the doctor was arrested and five people in total were apprehended. [ 3 ]
- Seoul Shinmun reports the arrests over false prescriptions written in patients' names. [ 4 ]
- Chosun Ilbo reports the arrest of the hospital director, citing “up to 500 people's worth” of the drug. [ 5 ]
- Yonhap reports the doctor was arrested and sent to prosecutors, saying the amount equals about 560 sleep-endoscopy doses. [ 6 ]
- Seoul Economic Daily reports the case was opened after a tip-off, with the patient receiving 10,980 mg at 11 institutions. [ 7 ]
- Start of the period police say the alleged propofol use and record falsification occurred. [ 2 , 3 , 6 , 7 ]
- End of the period police say the alleged offences occurred. [ 2 , 3 , 6 , 7 ]