RED LIGHTS are flashing, ambulances are everywhere. Long, yellow tape with bold, black letters that read “DO NOT CROSS” marks the crime scene. The police are looking for clues and taking photos of the scene. White chalk lines are drawn around the body. This is what happens at a crime scene. However, did you notice something’s missing? Where’s the medical examiner?
        If you have ever watched the famous American drama series, “C.S.I”? I am sure many of you have ? the medical examiners tell the viewers when the victim died, how the victim died, and what murder weapon was used. With the increase of heinous crimes in Korea, the demand for medical examiners has increased sharply. However, they face many obstacles when trying to resolve a crime.

Segregated from the crime scene

       The current post-mortem examination system of Korea hinders medical examiners. “Under the current system, our medical examiners are prohibited to visit the crime scene without approval,” says Seo Joong-seok(Chief Medical Examiner, Dept. of Forensic Medicine).This is the fundamental problem of murder investigations in Korea. According to the laws and institutions, medical examiners are not given the authority to  participate actively in the investigation process. They rely on second hand information based on reports written by the National Police Agency and prosecutors. As a result, Korea’s death investigation system is very inefficient.
        In Korea, there is a long and tedious process to conduct an autopsy, which involves the judge, the prosecutor, the police, and the medical examiner. According to criminal law, the police carry out murder investigations, not medical examiners. However, the police lack knowledge required to deal with a dead body. This causes inaccuracy, error, and omission of evidence from the crime scene. To make matters more complicated, the decision to perform an autopsy is made by the prosecutor, not medical examiners. Ironically, the current Bar Examination (The Administration of Justice Examination) excludes areas of forensic pathology. Thus, untrained prosecutors are expected to  deal with corpses. “It is similar to a receptionist determining if a patient needs surgery rather than the doctor,” says Seo.
        Only after the police investigation is done and the prosecutor’s admission is given, the body is then sent to medical examiners, usually at the NISI (National Institute of Scientific Investigation), for autopsy. By the time it has arrived at NISI, the body is already frozen to keep it from rotting. In an autopsy, time is important. The longer the dead body remains frozen, the less accurate the results of an autopsy. This delay makes it difficult to discover the truth. In addition, the medical examiners have to rely on reports provided by police because they have no other source of information from the crime scene. Given partial assumptions without an on-the-spot survey of the crime scene, the medical examiners find it hard to provide an objective autopsy.

Socially Neglected

         In addition to the challenges of interpreting second hand information, medical examiners also lack government support. However, the autopsy process is not the only problem the medical examiners face. There is very little government support in terms of money. NISI is controlled by MOPAS (the Ministry of Public Administration and Security) but is not given much attention. Being placed within a larger ministry, it is always short on budgets. Due to the relatively low number of medical examiners available for investigation, they suffer from large amount of work. “Each medical examiner handles an average of 300 autopsies every year, which is why nobody really applies for the job or quits,” says Seo. “It is a vicious cycle because of the intensity of their works, only few apply for the job, and this scarcity of medical examiners brings more intensity,” adds Seo bitterly. Not only are medical examiners stressed from overwork and studying hideously damaged bodies, but they also have low wages compared to other medical school graduates.
         Another obstacle that medical examiners face is that Korea lack of forensic pathology education. In Korean medical universities, there is no suitable course to become a medical examiner. Students who wish to be a medical examiner have to first study in pathology and then learn through practice at NISI. Because there is no official training course, students face difficulties when trying to conduct an autopsy.
         Social prejudice is a factor that also frustrates medical examiners.  “The most common but inaccurate belief is that the medical examiners are not qualified. If you can treat real patients, why deal with dead people?" says Seo. "This is one misconception so prevalent in our society," Since there are many hardships in becoming and working as a medical examiner, people try to evade this occupation. “It is like ‘The Road Not Taken’,” says Jang Seon-jung(Resident, Dept. of Pathology, Severance Hospital) “some do not understand why I have chosen this road.”

Changes that should be made

         So what changes need to be done? It is essential for a medical examiner to carry out their first investigation at the crime scene. The system itself is the biggest obstacle in the medical examiners' work. First, a modification of the system is required. “NISI needs to be given independence, or the medical examiners' rights to fully carry on what they are most skilled to do should be acquired,” says Seo. A work environment where the medical examiners do not have to depend on second hand information to perform accurate autopsy needs to be provided. In the other countries like the United States, medical examiners have the right to participate throughout the investigation process. By making the examiners an equal part in the investigation, they will gain respect.
         In addition to independence, more governmental support is needed. Considering that the administration of justice is a significant factor in securing citizens welfare, more budgets should be distributed to stimulating the development of NISI.  
         Another change should be made in the education system; a specific course to train medical examiners has to be developed. Prof. Shin Kyoung-jin (Dept. of Forensic Medicine., Yonsei Univ.) says, “When a medical examiner-to-be comes and wants to practice autopsy, they face problems that come from a lack of systemization.” He also adds that a proper course for medical examiners should be set, since it can also trigger people to choose the road less taken. 

What is NISI(National Institution of Scientific Investigation)?

NISI is the nation’s scientific investigating organization. It consists of two divisions, forensic science and forensic medicine. The forensic medicine division has four sub-divisions; Forensic medicine, DNA Analysis, Forensic Psychology, Documentation & images. There are also five sub-divisions in the forensic science division: Analysis of toxic substances, Narcotics analysis, Chemical analysis, Physical analysis and Traffic engineering analysis.