Woman in her 60s says she was turned away from dermatology clinic for not using polite speech

A woman in her 60s has come forward with a complaint that she was refused treatment at a dermatology clinic because she did not use sufficiently polite speech when addressing the doctor.

According to JTBC's "Sageon Banjang," a TV news tip program, the story aired Tuesday and centered on a woman who said she was turned away from a neighborhood dermatology clinic without receiving any treatment — all because of how she spoke to the doctor.

The tipster, identified only as A, said she had recently visited the clinic because of itchy skin. It was her first visit, and the clinic was a small one-doctor practice. She estimated the head physician was in his late 40s, or at most his early 50s.

After waiting about 20 minutes, A entered the examination room. While she was describing her symptoms, the doctor abruptly put his pen down and demanded to know why she was speaking to him informally.

A said she was taken aback and asked when she had spoken informally. The doctor replied that she had repeatedly dropped the polite sentence-ending "yo" suffix and kept cutting off her sentences. He told her she would need to stop speaking informally if she wanted to be treated.

A explained that she had done so unconsciously while trying to describe her condition, but the doctor said he would not see her and ordered her to leave. She ultimately had no choice but to walk out of the clinic.

A later confirmed through a local acquaintance that the doctor was indeed in his late 40s and was known to be particularly sensitive about the use of formal speech.

A told the program's producers: "I may have been at fault for unconsciously shortening my sentences, but does that really warrant being thrown out without even receiving treatment?"

Attorney Park Ji-hoon, who reviewed the case, said the doctor may have been genuinely taken aback. "She may not have realized it herself, but it seems she may have a habit of speaking informally to people who look younger than her, and the doctor appears to have been quite shocked by it," he said.

Cultural critic Choi Hyeong-jin said that if the other person felt uncomfortable, the speech could reasonably be perceived as informal. "If someone habitually mixes informal speech into their conversation, it does seem worth correcting," he said.