"I Thought I Was Gaining Weight"… YouTuber Shares 36-Week Pregnancy Termination Vlog

"Discovered at 36 Weeks Pregnant" Claim
Process of Abortion Surgery Costing 9 Million Won Revealed
Netizens Raise Criticism

A YouTuber has sparked controversy by releasing a video documenting the process of undergoing an abortion at 36 weeks of pregnancy, full term.

On the 27th of last month, a video titled "Total Surgery Cost 9 Million Won, 120 Hours Like Hell" was uploaded to a YouTube channel. The channel operator, Mr. A, opened up by saying, "I scraped together 9 million won including service fees for the surgery cost," and asked, "What kind of life should I live from now on?"

YouTuber A admitted to the hospital for a pregnancy termination surgery [Photo by YouTube channel 'Kkomjuk' capture]

He claimed, "Around March, when my period stopped for a long time, I visited an obstetrics and gynecology clinic and was told it was due to polycystic ovary syndrome and hormonal imbalance, so I didn't suspect much," adding, "I just thought I had gained a lot of weight, but something felt off, so I went to a hospital and found out I was pregnant at an internal medicine department."

Mr. A revealed a scene of undergoing an ultrasound examination at an obstetrics and gynecology clinic, saying, "It was already too late. Everything felt miserable and hopeless." The video also showed a doctor saying things like, "You have to give birth," "You can't terminate," and "The heart is beating well." He said, "Including this place, I visited three more hospitals, but all of them said (abortion) was impossible," and added, "I wanted to die because of the result caused by my careless attitude."

However, Mr. A stated that he found a hospital where abortion was possible and immediately underwent the surgery. He shared footage of himself lying on a hospital bed wearing surgical clothes, saying, "It was my first time experiencing general anesthesia and spinal anesthesia, so I was scared, but everything was my fault." He also revealed his physical condition, hospital food, and recovery process, saying, "After the surgery, I had a binder and a catheter on my abdomen." At the end of the video, he showed himself receiving an IV drip and concluded by saying, "Will there be a day when I come here for treatment again?" Mr. A did not mention the condition of the fetus in the video.

The video is rapidly spreading across various online communities under the title "36-week fetus abortion vlog uploaded on YouTube." Netizens who watched the video left critical comments such as, "Aborting at 36 weeks is murder," "What were they thinking filming and uploading this kind of video," "It's their life so the choice is free, but I don't understand why they filmed and uploaded this," and "Wouldn't it have been better to give birth and seek help from places like a baby box?"

Meanwhile, in April 2019, the Constitutional Court ruled the abortion law unconstitutional, which had punished women who had abortions and the doctors who assisted them. However, confusion remains as related laws have not been organized.