https://www.ilyo.co.kr/?ac=article_view&entry_id=276026
Society
[Exclusive] Can you trust the advertising for “key surgery”? Allegations of impersonating an “authoritative figure”
Junior doctor falsely lists profile on website, blog, and cafe... Immediately corrects after being reported
[Sunday Newspaper] Recently, height-increasing surgery has become as popular as plastic surgery. The number of people undergoing this surgery for cosmetic purposes due to concerns about their height is gradually increasing. As a result, many doctors are entering the field of height surgery. Above all, it is because it is a profitable surgery. However, height-increasing surgery can cause serious side effects such as leg paralysis if performed improperly. Therefore, the surgeon's expertise is crucial for this procedure. Recently, a practicing surgeon was caught impersonating a senior surgeon (specialist) who is an authority in “height-increasing surgery,” using the senior surgeon's credentials and case history. The practicing surgeon was accused of receiving patients by impersonating the senior surgeon's profile and was eventually reported to the authorities. We exclusively reveal the details of the case.
 

A leading specialist in height-increasing surgery in Korea recently filed a complaint with the prosecution, accusing a private orthopedic surgeon of impersonating his academic background and cases to treat patients, alleging a violation of the Medical Act. The photo is unrelated to the content of the article. Photo: Lee Jong-hyun


Professor L is a renowned specialist in the field of leg lengthening and deformity correction (commonly known as height-increasing surgery) who works at a leading A university hospital in Korea. However, Professor L filed a complaint with the prosecution in April, accusing Dr. J, a practicing orthopedic surgeon, of violating the Medical Act.

The defendant, Dr. J, operates an orthopedic joint clinic in the Gyeonggi-do region.

The incident dates back to 2014. J visited L after more than three years. The two had a connection. When L was an associate professor of orthopedic surgery at B General Hospital, J had completed his residency and fellowship in orthopedic surgery at the same hospital. They were former colleagues who had worked at the same hospital.

Dr. J visited his senior, Professor L, because he wanted to observe Professor L's height-increasing surgery before opening his own orthopedic hospital a month later. Professor L readily accepted the request. Dr. J reportedly visited the operating room several times to observe Professor L's surgeries.

However, early this year, Professor L heard an unusual story from a acquaintance. Dr. J was allegedly using Professor L's credentials on his hospital website, Naver blog, and cafe, and promoting Professor L's achievements as if they were his own.

When Professor L checked the hospital's website himself, he found that Director J was listed as having served as a member of the Arthroscopy Research Society at A University Hospital, a training instructor at the Arthroscopy Center at A University Hospital, the director of the Lower Limb Lengthening and Deformity Correction Center at A University Hospital, a full-time physician and outpatient professor at the Lower Limb Lengthening and Deformity Correction Center at B General Hospital, and a regular member of the Korean Society of Lower Limb Lengthening and Deformity Correction.

However, this is not true. In particular, Director J has never worked at A University Hospital for even a single day. Additionally, upon verification, his name was not listed in the membership rosters of the Arthroscopy Research Society at A University Hospital or the Korean Society of Lower Extremity Lengthening and Deformity Correction. Therefore, Director J either exaggerated his own credentials or appropriated Professor L's credentials for his own use.

The bigger problem is that this was not the first time Dr. J had misappropriated someone else's credentials. Shortly after opening his hospital, there was an issue with a photo used in an advertisement. Dr. J had removed Professor L's face from a photo taken with his mentor during his training at a hospital in the United States and replaced it with his own face. At the time, Professor L discovered this fact belatedly and protested to Dr. J, who apologized and deleted the photo.

Additionally, Dr. J is said to have posted statements such as, “I have gained extensive experience in knee surgeries and lower limb deformity correction surgeries over the past five years at B General Hospital,” “All the teams and equipment from B General Hospital have been transferred here (to my hospital) and are being used here,” and “There has been not a single case of non-union among the hundreds of lower limb lengthening surgery patients treated at B General Hospital” on his hospital blog and online forums.

However, Dr. J had never performed limb lengthening or deformity correction surgeries at B General Hospital, and at the time, Professor L was the only doctor at the hospital who performed such surgeries. Therefore, Dr. J described Professor L's surgical cases as if he had performed them “directly” through his posts. This amounts to false and exaggerated medical advertising using expressions that could easily mislead the general public.


“Height surgery” is a procedure that requires highly specialized expertise. The entry of unqualified doctors into the market is expected to lead to further adverse effects. Photo=Wikimedia

In response, Professor L's side stated, “The purpose of the Medical Act, which prohibits medical professionals from making false or exaggerated advertisements, is because medical advertisements take advantage of the desperate and earnest psychological state of patients and their families, clouding their judgment in choosing medical institutions or treatment methods, and this has a significant potential to affect the health protection of the public and the medical system.” “In the case of Dr. J, he violated the intent of the Medical Act, abandoning medical ethics and conscience, and actively misled numerous patients considering leg lengthening and deformity correction through false or exaggerated medical advertisements.”

Dr. J reportedly revised the problematic sections posted on the hospital's website, Naver blog, and cafe after controversies arose regarding his false credentials.

Nevertheless, Professor L's side pointed out, “If Dr. J believed there was no issue with his profile, he would not have revised his credentials even after the controversy arose. This implies that Dr. J himself was aware that his initial profile contained false or exaggerated information. Taking measures now does not absolve him of the illegal act of misleading patients with false credentials over the past few years.”

Regarding Professor L's complaint, the prosecution recently acknowledged Director J's charges and imposed a fine of 2 million won. Professor L's lawyer explained, “In conclusion, the prosecution also issued an indictment opinion. We are now waiting for Director J's decision on whether to accept the prosecution's fine or appeal for a formal trial.”

According to a health center official, if Director J accepts the criminal penalty of a fine for false advertising, he could typically face an administrative penalty of a two-month suspension of business operations.

Professor L expressed concern that such issues might spread across the entire field of height-increasing surgery. He stated, "So-called height surgery can easily lead to various complications or aftereffects, such as nonunion of bones, nerve paralysis, joint stiffness, or bone deformation, if the surgery is performed incorrectly. Therefore, the doctor's expertise and skill are extremely important.“ He added, ”However, as the plastic surgery field has become saturated and the number of patients undergoing height surgery for cosmetic purposes has increased, many doctors are entering this field for financial gain. The problem is that few of these doctors possess the necessary expertise in height surgery. I am concerned that more doctors like J, who mislead patients by falsely or exaggeratedly presenting their credentials, may emerge."

Meanwhile, Dr. J’s side responded to the allegations by saying, “We are discussing the matter with our lawyer. We have nothing further to say at this time.”