The National Human Rights Commission of Korea investigation revealed cases where patients were isolated for over 500 hours or confined in spaces smaller than one pyeong (approximately 3.3 square meters) at psychiatric hospitals.
Last November, the commission visited 20 psychiatric medical institutions across the country. They analyzed isolation and restraint logs of 88 patients as well as CCTV footage, which uncovered human rights violations at multiple hospitals.
In two of the hospitals surveyed, patients were isolated for more than 24 hours, violating the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s guideline that allows for a maximum of 12-hour isolation per instance. At one facility, a patient was continuously isolated for 526 hours—nearly 22 days.
The smallest isolation room measured 2.3 square meters (about 0.7 pyeong). A tragic incident was reported at this hospital where a patient died after being trapped between a bed and a wall while in isolation.
In two hospitals, there was no evidence that patients’ vital signs were monitored. Eight hospitals violated the Mental Health and Welfare Law by isolating and restraining patients first and then receiving a specialist’s order only afterward. In seven of these cases, the orders were communicated via text messages.
The Human Rights Commission advised the Minister of Health and Welfare to legislate the guidelines on isolation and restraint to minimize human rights abuses during the hospitalization process. Additionally, one hospital with severe violations will be reported to the prosecution.