South Korean hospital camera footage of patients leaked to porn sites

Security camera footage showing patients receiving treatment and changing clothes at South Korean hospitals and clinics has been distributed on overseas pornography sites.

Lawmaker Heo Jong-sik said his office had identified 80 videos involving about 100 victims and referred the case to police. The findings were raised at a parliamentary hearing on October 7, where Health and Welfare Minister Jeong Eun-kyeong acknowledged weaknesses in medical information security, Seoul Economic Daily reported.

The recordings included gynecology examinations, cosmetic procedures and rehabilitation treatment. Twenty-one videos were linked to a single gynecology clinic in Seoul. Some had been edited to follow patients through waiting areas, consultation rooms and examination rooms, with their faces and bodies left visible.

Heo’s office identified operating medical facilities by matching names and interiors shown in the recordings, according to The Kyunghyang Shinmun. Dates displayed on the footage ranged from February 2022 to November 2025.

Four people suspected of originally hacking, selling and distributing the footage were arrested last year, but the recordings subsequently appeared on other websites. Police received Heo’s request for an investigation on September 29 and are now seeking those responsible for redistributing the material.

Jeong said IP cameras, which transmit video over a network, were the suspected source, though investigators still need to establish exactly how the footage was obtained. She called for the videos to be blocked quickly. The ministry has also asked medical and hospital associations to strengthen security reviews and pledged a broader plan to improve protection across the sector.

The Seoul Medical Association has called for a review of South Korea’s operating room camera requirement, introduced in September 2023. The ministry said cameras installed under that requirement use closed networks, and investigators have not confirmed that they were the source of the leaked recordings.