Police probe alleged leak of Korean hospital CCTV footage to overseas sites
In short
Police have opened an investigation into suspicions that CCTV footage from Korean medical institutions, including surgery and changing rooms, was leaked to overseas illegal sites. A lawmaker's office says 80 videos from obstetrics, plastic surgery, Korean medicine and rehabilitation clinics are circulating, 21 of them from a single Seoul obstetrics clinic. Most of the footage is believed to have been recorded by internet-connected IP cameras.
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Police have opened an investigation into suspicions that closed-circuit television footage recorded inside Korean medical institutions, including operating rooms and changing areas, was leaked to overseas illegal sites. The National Police Agency received a request for investigation over suspected hacking and leaking of medical institution CCTV footage on September 29 from the office of Democratic Party lawmaker Heo Jong-sik, and assigned the case to the Chungbuk Provincial Police Agency, according to Yonhap and Maeil Business. [ 1 , 3 ]
Heo's office said a review of the leak found 80 videos circulating on overseas pornographic sites, recorded inside domestic obstetrics and gynecology clinics, plastic surgery clinics, Korean medicine clinics and rehabilitation medicine clinics, including scenes of patients being examined and changing clothes. Twenty-one of those videos were linked to a single obstetrics and gynecology clinic in Seoul, the office said. Maeil Business reported the figures citing Yonhap. [ 1 , 3 ]
Most of the leaked footage is believed to have been filmed with internet protocol cameras, Yonhap and Maeil Business reported. IP cameras are classified as CCTV equipment but, unlike conventional CCTV, connect to wired or wireless internet and can transmit footage to other devices in real time, and the documents note that concerns about their security have been raised repeatedly. [ 1 , 3 ]
Heo said patients cannot feel safe going to hospitals when footage of examinations and changing clothes is circulating, and called for a thorough investigation including international cooperation. [ 1 , 3 ]
Installing and operating CCTV in operating rooms has been mandatory at medical institutions performing surgery on patients who are unconscious from anesthesia since a September 2023 amendment to the Medical Act, according to both Yonhap and Maeil Business. [ 1 , 3 ]
Newsis headlined that police are investigating a re-leak of the footage and that the initial distributor has been arrested; its article text did not cover the case, and no other document mentions an arrest or a previous distribution. Korea Economic Daily led its coverage with the leak of surgery and changing-room footage to overseas pornographic sites. [ 2 , 4 ]
Why it matters
The case puts attention on the operating-room CCTV that Korean medical institutions have been required to install since a September 2023 amendment to the Medical Act, raising the question of how such footage is secured. A lawmaker involved in the request said patients cannot feel safe going to hospitals and called for international cooperation in the investigation. The documents give no indication of how many patients or institutions are affected beyond the figures cited by the lawmaker's office.
Key facts
- The National Police Agency received a request for investigation into suspected hacking and leaking of medical institution CCTV footage on September 29 from the office of Democratic Party lawmaker Heo Jong-sik. [ 1 , 3 ]
- The case was assigned to the Chungbuk Provincial Police Agency. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Heo's office said 80 videos recorded inside domestic medical institutions, including obstetrics, plastic surgery, Korean medicine and rehabilitation clinics, were found circulating on overseas pornographic sites. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Of those, 21 videos were linked to one obstetrics clinic in Seoul, according to Heo's office. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Most of the leaked footage is believed to have been recorded by IP cameras, which connect to the internet and can transmit video to other devices. [ 1 , 3 ]
- A September 2023 amendment to the Medical Act made installing and operating CCTV in operating rooms mandatory at institutions performing surgery on patients unconscious under anesthesia. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Newsis reported in a headline that police are investigating a re-leak of the footage and that the initial distributor has been arrested. [ 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Police opened an investigation into suspicions that CCTV footage from domestic medical institutions was leaked to overseas sites. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The police received the request for investigation from Rep. Heo Jong-sik's office on September 29 and assigned the case to the Chungbuk Provincial Police Agency. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Heo's office said 80 videos recorded inside domestic medical institutions were distributed on overseas pornographic sites, including 21 from one Seoul obstetrics clinic. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Most of the leaked videos are believed to have been filmed with IP cameras, which are connected to the internet and are considered vulnerable to security breaches. [ 1 , 3 ]
- CCTV installation and operation in operating rooms was made mandatory under a September 2023 revision of the Medical Act. [ 1 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- Whether the footage was obtained through hacking and who is responsible Documents describe the leak as a suspicion (의혹) under police investigation; no outlet reports a confirmed cause or suspect.
- Newsis headline says the initial distributor has been arrested and that police are investigating a re-leak This appears only in a Newsis headline; the outlet's article text is about an unrelated story, and no other document mentions an arrest.
- The number of patients or institutions affected beyond the 80 videos and 21 Seoul clinic videos cited by Heo's office No document gives a broader count or identifies the affected institutions.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- September 29: the National Police Agency receives a request for investigation from Rep. Heo Jong-sik's office and assigns the case to the Chungbuk Provincial Police Agency. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Yonhap reports that police have begun investigating the alleged leak of hospital surgery-room and changing-room CCTV footage to overseas illegal sites. [ 1 ]
- Korea Economic Daily headlines the leak of surgery and changing-room CCTV footage to overseas pornographic sites. [ 2 ]
- Maeil Business reports the police investigation, the 80 leaked videos and the 21 videos tied to a Seoul obstetrics clinic. [ 3 ]
- Newsis headlines that police are investigating a re-leak of the footage and that the initial distributor has been arrested. [ 4 ]