A dermatologist in their 30s who runs a clinic in Seoul's Gangnam district has been arrested on suspicion of administering propofol to patients hundreds of times for purposes unrelated to medical treatment.
Judge Lee Ji-young of the Seoul Central District Court, who handles arrest warrant reviews, issued the warrant on the 21st after questioning the clinic director, identified only as A, who is suspected of violating the Narcotics Control Act, legal sources said.
The court said it granted the warrant because of concerns that evidence could be destroyed.
A, who operates the dermatology clinic in Nonhyeon-dong in Seoul's Gangnam district, is suspected of injecting patients with propofol beyond medical purposes such as anesthesia and sedation.
Police believe A illegally administered propofol about 360 times to roughly 20 patients between January last year and August this year.
Seoul's Namdaemun Police Station searched the clinic in June and seized related records. After continuing the investigation, police requested an arrest warrant for A on the 11th.
With A now in custody, police plan to conduct additional questioning before referring the case to prosecutors.
