South Korea OB/GYN IP Camera Hack Leaks Patient Examination Footage to Illegal Overseas Adult Sites

South Korean police are investigating the suspected leakage of medical surveillance footage after JTBC reported that videos showing examinations, surgery and other activity inside hospitals were circulating on overseas websites it described as illegal.

The broadcaster said at least 100 people had their faces or bodies exposed in the material. Some private clinics and university hospitals were identifiable, and most of the facilities identified in its investigation were obstetrics and gynaecology clinics.

Medical Footage Exposes Patients' Faces and Bodies

The recordings included consultation rooms, waiting areas and scenes of medical procedures and surgery. Other South Korean reports described footage of patients receiving treatment or changing clothes at facilities including plastic surgery clinics, Korean medicine clinics and rehabilitation facilities.

Some videos were labelled as hacked footage from Korean hospital IP cameras. An expert consulted by the broadcaster pointed to timestamps and room labels as evidence that the recordings originated from IP cameras installed inside medical facilities.

That assessment identifies the likely camera source, but does not establish how the footage was obtained. IP cameras can transmit recordings over network connections, making their security settings and access controls important safeguards against unauthorised access.

The National Police Agency received an investigation request from Democratic Party lawmaker Heo Jong-sik's office on 29 September 2026 and assigned the case to the North Chungcheong Provincial Police Agency.

According to The Korea Herald, Heo's office identified 80 videos from South Korean medical facilities, including 21 believed to have been recorded at one obstetrics and gynaecology clinic in Seoul. The video count is separate from the broadcaster's count of people exposed in the recordings.

The newspaper described renewed circulation of medical surveillance footage. The available reporting does not establish when every recording was made or first uploaded.

Operating-Room CCTV Law Is Separate From Suspected Leak

South Korea amended its Medical Service Act in September 2021 to require CCTV installation in operating rooms where surgery is performed on unconscious patients, including those under general anaesthesia. The requirements took effect on 25 September 2023.

The measure followed concerns about medical accidents and so-called 'ghost surgery', in which an operation is performed by someone other than the practitioner the patient agreed would conduct it.

The law distinguishes mandatory camera installation from recording. Recording is generally required when a patient or guardian requests it, subject to specified exceptions. The legislation also restricts access to recordings and requires safeguards against loss, theft, leakage and tampering.

The newspaper reported that Health Ministry rules require closed-circuit cameras rather than internet-connected network cameras in operating rooms covered by the mandate.

The broadcaster's investigation described footage from consultation rooms and waiting areas as well as scenes of surgery. However, the available reporting does not establish which recordings, if any, came from cameras installed to comply with the operating-room CCTV requirements.

Surveillance Raises Privacy and Security Concerns

Supporters of operating-room cameras argue that recordings can help establish what happened while a patient was unconscious and provide evidence in disputes over treatment. In its coverage of the legislation, Reuters reported that proponents also viewed cameras as a way to deter misconduct and rebuild trust.

Medical organisations have raised concerns about patient and staff privacy, access to recordings and the effects of surveillance on clinical practice.

In a 2022 editorial in the Journal of Korean Medical Science, surgeon Yongsik Jung raised concerns about privacy, storage security, costs and the potential impact on the patient–doctor relationship. Those concerns were raised before the operating-room mandate took effect, rather than as findings about the current investigation.

The reported circulation of intimate medical footage has renewed scrutiny of camera security inside healthcare facilities. Police are investigating how the recordings were obtained and distributed; the relationship between the footage and the operating-room CCTV mandate remains unresolved.