As comedian Park Na-rae, 40, faces allegations that she received unlicensed cosmetic treatments at home, fresh scrutiny is zeroing in on the woman at the center of the storm―dubbed the “Injection Aunt”―and the education and credentials she touted online.
After questions surfaced about procedures allegedly performed at Park’s home and during overseas shoots, the woman, identified only as A, claimed on social media that roughly a dozen years ago she shuttled to and from Inner Mongolia to study, served as the youngest professor at “Pogang Medical University Hospital,” and―thanks to help from a local Communist Party secretary―helped bring a Korean plastic surgery center to the region. She positioned herself as an expert in cosmetic medicine.
Park’s team, pushing back on the controversy, said she received a legitimate house call from medical staff and denied any illegality. Still, critics note that even if A had taught at a medical school overseas or held a foreign license, practicing medicine in Korea requires a Korean medical license―making her explanation insufficient to quell concerns.
On Dec. 7, a physicians’ civic group called Doctors for a Fair Society issued a statement asserting that the “Pogang Medical University” A cited does not exist in China. Citing data from China’s Ministry of Education and the WCAME (World Committee for the Accreditation of Medical Education), the group said only four medical schools are officially recognized in Inner Mongolia.
Calling it a “ghost medical school,” the group added, “There is no ‘Pogang Medical University’ on the full list of 162 medical schools. The hospital where A claims to have worked as a professor also doesn’t appear in official records. Even if someone graduated from a Chinese medical school, practicing medicine in Korea without a Korean license is illegal, and using the title ‘medical school professor’ without being a physician is problematic.”
Earlier, A fired back at Park’s former managers―who first raised the allegations―posting a white-coat selfie, a Chinese-language online profile and a list of hospital experience alongside a caption roughly meaning, “What do you even know?” By the afternoon of the 7th, however, those posts had been wiped, further fueling speculation.
Meanwhile, Park’s former managers have filed a police complaint accusing her of verbal abuse, aggravated assault and illegal medical practice. They’ve also sought a provisional lien on her property. Park’s side counters that after paying severance, the ex-staffers demanded 10% of her revenue; when refused, they “created unnecessary misunderstandings.” Her camp says a second statement is coming on Dec. 8.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)