Hospital staff referred to prosecutors over case where amputated leg was thrown out as recyclable waste
Police referred two nursing hospital workers and a volunteer, as well as the institution's medical foundation, to prosecutors for charges of violations of the Wastes Control Act.
The recycling center in Yeonsu District in Incheon, where a human leg was found among discarded waste, is seen in a photo taken on June 11.YONHAP
Police referred three people affiliated with a nursing hospital that mistakenly discarded an amputated leg of a patient as recyclable waste in June to prosecutors on Monday.
Incheon Yeonsu Police Station referred a head nurse, a nursing assistant and a volunteer to prosecutors without detention on suspicion of violating the Wastes Control Act.
Police also referred the hospital's medical foundation to prosecutors under the corporate liability provisions of the act.
Police determined that medical staff amputated the leg of a hospitalized patient in their 80s suffering from severe tissue necrosis on or around June 8. Medical staff reportedly wrapped the amputated leg in bandages before disposing of it.
Police allege that the head nurse and nursing assistant stored the amputated leg, which is classified as human tissue, in a medical waste container instead of a dedicated pathological waste container. The staff are also accused of violating regulations requiring human tissue to be kept in refrigerated storage at or below 4 degrees Celsius (39.2 degrees Fahrenheit).
Police also accused the volunteer of throwing the amputated leg into a recycling bag despite being instructed not to handle medical waste containers.
Exterior of the nursing hospital in Jung District, Incheon, where a patient whose amputated leg was found at a recycling facility in Incheon was staying, as seen on June 18.YONHAP
Investigators said the volunteer was cleaning a trash bin when they mistook the leg in a nearby medical waste container for discarded plaster cast material and threw it into a recycling bag.
Police did not file charges over the amputation itself. Investigators determined that performing the amputation in a hospital room rather than an operating room constituted a legitimate medical procedure by a licensed physician, and noted that the Medical Service Act contains no provision imposing criminal penalties for such a practice.
An employee sorting recyclable materials discovered the leg at 2:28 p.m. on June 10 at a recycling center in Songdo, Incheon, and reported the discovery to police.
The recovered leg measured 41 centimeters (16.1 inches) from the heel to below the knee, and the foot measured approximately 210 millimeters (8.3 inches).
The Korean National Police Agency logo is seen in an undated photo.YONHAP
Police initially considered the possibility that the limb belonged to a child before hospital personnel came forward. Investigators had sent documents requesting cooperation for the investigation to every school in Incheon and expanded the identification effort to include missing adults and other unaccounted-for individuals.
Hospital officials later reported the incident, which allowed the police to confirm that the amputated leg belonged to the hospitalized patient. Police investigated five hospital personnel before referring three of them to prosecutors for violating the Wastes Control Act.
Medical waste containing human tissue must be placed in designated containers and collected and transported separately from other waste under the Wastes Control Act.
Violators are subject to up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 20 million won ($14,000).
BY JANG GU-SEUL [lee.jiwon10@joongang.co.kr]
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
