Forensic Professor Kim Mun-yeong: The Truth Faced Through 1,669 Autopsies, Including the Training Center Gaslighting Death Case

Professor Kim Mun-yeong, head of the forensic medicine laboratory at Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, appeared on the tvN entertainment program 'You Quiz on the Block' and shared her experience of performing approximately 1,669 autopsies to date and the cases she encountered in the process.

Body Mutilation and Gaslighting... The Reality of Cases Revealed Through Autopsy

Professor Kim Mun-yeong recalled a shocking case she experienced in her first year of performing autopsies. At the time, it was a brutal violent crime where a biological mother and brother murdered their daughter. Professor Kim stated that the autopsy was conducted in a more solemn atmosphere than usual because the condition of the corpse was extremely mutilated. According to the subtitles in the video and Professor Kim's remarks, the mother, who was the perpetrator of the case, was known to have symptoms of schizophrenia.

Additionally, Professor Kim shared a case where she identified the cause of death of a trainee. In a case where a young woman was known to have died after jumping from a training center, Professor Kim noted that the entire back area of the corpse was red. While livor mortis (the phenomenon of blood settling in the body after death) typically does not occur in parts of the body pressed against the floor, the entire back of this corpse was red. Upon Professor Kim's investigation, it was revealed that this was not livor mortis but extensive bleeding and bruising, through which she was able to uncover the gaslighting and physical abuse by the training center officials. Ultimately, the director of the center was sentenced to a heavy prison term.

The Role of Forensic Medicine in Protecting the Final Moments within Welfare Blind Spots

Professor Kim also mentioned tragic deaths that occurred in places where social attention does not reach. A representative example is the case of a mother and son in Changsin-dong, who were discovered after an excessive water bill was charged. In this case, where an mother in her 80s and a son in his 50s were found after about a month, Professor Kim conveyed the family's deep affection by mentioning the circumstances that seemed as if the mother had put socks on her son even though he had died first.

Professor Kim emphasized that autopsies are not limited to violent crimes but are also performed to ensure accurate diagnosis even in cases presumed to be natural deaths. She explained that autopsy is a process that can happen close to us, saying, "It is something that our own family could become the subject of an autopsy."

"The Weight Contained in a Single Line of a Report"... The Responsibility of 1,669 Autopsies

Professor Kim, who has conducted over a thousand autopsies to date, speaks about the weight of the reports she writes. She expressed her sense of responsibility to diagnose as accurately as possible, stating, "Because of a single word or line in the report I write, the cause of death could change, or someone's responsibility could be determined."

Furthermore, she shared everyday experiences that arise due to the nature of her profession. She introduced an anecdote where, having become sensitive to the smell of decomposing bodies, she saw a post in an apartment community saying there was a 'smell of rotten soybean paste' and contacted the management office to check for any potential incidents, suggesting that forensic medicine serves as the last hope for uncovering unjust deaths.