A South Korean appellate court has ordered a hospital to pay approximately 620 million won (US$450,000) in damages to a family after finding that medical negligence during childbirth resulted in their son’s permanent disability.

The ruling, handed down by the Suwon High Court recently, held that the hospital failed to respond appropriately when signs of fetal distress emerged during a difficult labor in 2016.

Despite repeated requests from the mother for an emergency cesarean section, doctors continued to push for natural delivery, the court said.

The baby was born without breathing or reflex responses and was immediately transferred to neonatal intensive care. He was later diagnosed with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and, in 2017, cerebral palsy.

The court found that medical staff neglected their duty to closely monitor both mother and fetus and failed to take timely measures such as repositioning, oxygen administration, or surgical intervention. As the employer of the attending physicians, the hospital is liable for the damage, the judges wrote.

The decision increases the compensation awarded at trial by more than 60 million won. The case underscores growing scrutiny of obstetric care in South Korea, where concerns over liability have already contributed to a shortage of doctors in essential maternal services.