'Even 10ml Can Cause Cardiac Arrest'... Nurse Testifies About Seo Se-won's 100ml Propofol Injection

"Driver testified to administer two bottles at once"
"Seowon Seo, who had diabetes... even 10mL caused cardiac arrest"

A local nurse testified that the late Seo Sewon, who suddenly died last month in a Cambodian hospital, was injected with propofol.

According to MBC’s ‘True Story Expedition’ on the 18th, a nurse who directly administered an IV drip to Seo Sewon at a hospital in Cambodia last month revealed, "After injecting vitamins (to Seo Sewon), I administered propofol." Propofol is a sedative used for procedures such as endoscopy, and its misuse or abuse can lead to death. In South Korea, it is regulated under the Narcotics Control Act and restricted to therapeutic purposes.

However, it was reported that propofol can be obtained without any restrictions at pharmacies in Cambodia. The nurse said, “Seo Sewon brought it (propofol) to me. It was already opened,” and added, “I heard from Seo Sewon’s driver that ‘Seo Sewon receives two 50mL bottles of propofol twice a week’ and was told to ‘administer it all at once.’”

However, it is known that Seo Sewon did not have a vehicle at the time. The person who gave the instructions to the nurse is presumed to be the driver of Kim, Seo Sewon’s business partner. When the production team asked Kim, “Are you sure Seo Sewon received propofol?” he denied it, responding, “How can I be sure when there is no propofol at all?”

[Photo by MBC, screenshot from the Real Story Exploration Team broadcast]

The amount of propofol used for sedation during endoscopy is known to be 3 to 5 mL for an adult male. Regarding this, Professor Kim Deok-kyung of the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine at Sungkyunkwan University said, “Considering Seo Sewon’s health condition with diabetes, even 8 to 10 mL could cause respiratory depression and cardiac arrest,” and added, “If (100 mL) was administered at once, death would be inevitable.”

Meanwhile, Seo Sewon suddenly died while receiving an IV drip at a hospital in Cambodia on the 20th of last month. The local police stated the cause of death as cardiac arrest due to diabetes. After the news of his death was revealed, there was speculation that the ‘white IV fluid’ found at the scene might have been propofol.

the late Seo Sewon.