Overview
- A recycling center worker discovered a wrapped severed leg while sorting materials on June 10, prompting a police task force to trace its origin.
- Police collected the patient’s DNA and the National Forensic Service confirmed the limb matched an 80-something patient who had a recent amputation at a local nursing hospital.
- Investigators say the amputated leg had been bandaged and placed in a medical-waste container but a hospital volunteer mistook it for a cast or mannequin part and threw it out with recyclables.
- Incheon police are examining possible violations of medical-waste rules under the Wastes Control Act and are tracing the disposal chain to identify procedural failures and responsibility.
- The case has highlighted risks to recycling workers and the need for clearer hospital training and volunteer oversight, and authorities have warned the public not to spread unverified speculation.