Grand Plastic Surgery (그랜드성형외과) Ghost Surgery Scandal

Incident Overview

Grand Plastic Surgery, once considered one of Korea's top 3 plastic surgery clinics, was at the center of a major ghost surgery scandal following the 2013 death of a teenage patient. The case exposed systemic problems in the Korean cosmetic surgery industry.

2013 Teenage Patient Death

  • Date: December 9, 2013
  • Patient: Jang (surname), female, 19 years old, high school senior from Samcheok, Gangwon Province
  • Procedures: Double eyelid surgery (쌍꺼풀수술) and rhinoplasty (코성형)
  • What happened:
    • The operating room assistant did not know how to operate the oxygen supply equipment
    • Surgery continued without oxygen supply
    • Patient went into cardiac arrest but the surgery continued without medical staff noticing
    • Patient suffered hypoxic brain damage
  • Outcome: Patient received life support treatment and died in January 2015 after more than a year in vegetative state
  • Legal result: Doctor convicted of professional negligence causing death; sentenced to 1 year imprisonment, suspended for 2 years

What is Ghost Surgery?

"Ghost surgery" (유령수술) refers to the practice where a doctor other than the one who obtained patient consent performs the surgery while the patient is under anesthesia. After the Grand Plastic Surgery incident, a variation called "modified ghost surgery" emerged - where the assigned doctor does perform surgery but operates on multiple patients simultaneously.

Medical Association Response

The Korean Society of Plastic Surgeons conducted a year-long investigation and issued a severe condemnation, calling the ghost surgery practices at Grand Plastic Surgery "human experimentation on the entire Korean population" and "the worst human experimentation since World War II."

Controversy Over Hospital Director

The medical association questioned why only the junior employed doctor was prosecuted while the hospital director, who allegedly directed chart falsification and unauthorized administration of general anesthesia, was not investigated.

Important Disclaimer

This information is based on news reports and medical association statements. The case helped spark the movement for operating room CCTV legislation (권대희법).

Sources

  • 청년의사 (docdocdoc.co.kr) - "그랜드성형외과 의료사고, 왜 봉직의만 처벌하나"
  • 의약뉴스 (newsmp.com) - "그랜드성형외과, 전 국민 상대 생체실험"
  • 메디파나 (medipana.com) - "유령의사 발단 강남G성형외과 형 선고"
  • 파이낸셜뉴스 (fnnews.com) - "삼척 여고생 사망사건"