Woman dies after illegal filler procedure; Chinese national booked

A Chinese woman has died following complications from an illegal cosmetic filler procedure, and police have booked the Chinese man who performed it.

The Pyeongtaek Police Station in Gyeonggi Province announced Tuesday it has booked a Chinese man in his 30s, identified only as A, on charges of professional negligence resulting in death and violations of the Medical Service Act.

A is accused of illegally administering a filler procedure to a Chinese woman in her 30s, identified as B, at a lodging facility in Pyeongtaek at around 3:30 p.m. on April 30, causing her death.

A called emergency services after noticing something was wrong with B. She was transported to a nearby hospital while still conscious but died approximately two hours later.

Police initially opened a suspicious death investigation after receiving a report from the hospital following B's death. They later reclassified A from a witness to a suspect after the victim's family filed a criminal complaint.

The National Forensic Service initially delivered a preliminary verbal finding that the death was likely caused by pulmonary embolism. Days later, following an unusual second autopsy, it issued a final finding that the condition had stemmed from cosmetic filler complications.

A told investigators that while working at a massage parlor, he recruited multiple women, including B, through a messaging app and performed illegal filler procedures on them.

The deceased woman is believed to have received filler injections to a specific area of her body for cosmetic purposes.

Police plan to refer A to prosecutors after completing a detailed investigation into the circumstances of the alleged crime.