Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency Takes Over Investigation into 'Gunpo Newborn Death' Case

Police are set to launch a full-scale investigation into the case of a newborn who fell into critical condition immediately after birth at a hospital in Gunpo, Gyeonggi Province, and passed away two months later, by deploying a specialized medical investigation team.
The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency announced that it will transfer the investigation, which was previously handled by the Gunpo Police Station, to the medical investigation team of the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency's Metropolitan Crime Investigation Unit.
The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency typically assigns cases involving suspected medical malpractice that result in death to the medical investigation team of the Metropolitan Crime Investigation Unit rather than local police stations.
The decision reflects a commitment to conducting a more professional and rigorous investigation, given that the incident resulted in the loss of an infant's life.
Police explained that they plan to secure CCTV footage and medical records from the hospital where the baby was born to thoroughly examine the circumstances of the death and determine whether there was any medical negligence.
The incident began on April 15, when a baby boy born at a hospital in Gunpo fell into critical condition due to respiratory distress immediately after birth.
The infant was transferred to a university hospital and diagnosed with conditions including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. After receiving treatment, the baby passed away on June 13, 59 days after birth.
The bereaved family claims that medical malpractice occurred, arguing that the medical staff's initial emergency response to the baby's respiratory issues and the decision to transfer the infant to a higher-level hospital were inadequate, causing them to miss the "golden time" for treatment.
Conversely, the hospital maintains that it took active measures, such as providing oxygen via a manual resuscitator (bag-valve mask) immediately after birth, and that all procedures were followed according to the manual, with no evidence of medical malpractice identified to date.
Meanwhile, the bereaved family claims that while they had filed a complaint against the medical staff for professional negligence resulting in injury while the baby was receiving treatment, they proceeded with the cremation after the baby's death without receiving any communication from the police regarding future procedures, such as an autopsy.
(Photo: Provided by the bereaved family, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.