Sexual assaults at Pusan Univ. Hospital to be investigated

The National Human Rights Council (NHRC) will launch an investigation into Pusan National University Hospital (PNUP) where a professor assaulted 11 medical residents over the past two years, it said Thursday.

A subcommittee under the human rights watchdog said it will question the suspect and other witnesses.

The subcommittee also said it will come up with measures to prevent such incidents.

“We decided to conduct an investigation, as the alleged victims are believed to be in a position where they cannot disobey their mentor,” it said.

“We also considered that the suspected abuser attempted to downplay the gravity of the case and told the victims not to raise the issue further.”

The decision was prompted by allegations that the professor specializing in surgery asked victims and their parents to file a petition not to punish him.

According to police in Busan, 10 out of 11 victims filed a petition, Tuesday, asking for leniency for the professor, a notable change in stance given all their earlier statements were consistent in asking harsh punishment for him.

The victims first reported the violence to the school in August and demanded that he be immediately dismissed. But the school only suspended the professor for three months.

The abuse was made public last week by Rep. Yoo Eun-hye of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea when she disclosed pictures of the alleged victims who had severely bruised body parts.

The professor, according to Yoo, hit the residents on the streets and habitually punched their heads.

In a photo obtained by Yoo, the victims’ thighs, shins and buttocks were severely bruised. Some had their eardrums ruptured due to the assault.

Police filed an arrest warrant for the professor for assaulting and injuring the victims.