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On August 7, a pregnant patient with a 6-week-old fetus had gone to a clinic in district of Gangseo, in the country's capital Seoul, according to the Gangseo police. At the clinic, a mix-up in medical charts and failure to check her identity led to the mistaken abortion.
The doctor and nurse in charge are under investigation, and the case will soon be sent to the prosecutor's office, police told CNN.
"The doctor and nurse have acknowledged their fault," a police official said. They are now being accused of negligence resulting in bodily harm.
The police announced the investigation on Monday, Yonhap said.
However, under existing laws, the practice remains illegal and is technically punishable by up to a year in prison. Exceptions are granted in cases where the parents have hereditary diseases, the pregnancy is due to rape or incest, or the fetus is threatening the life of the mother.
An estimated 50,000 abortions were carried out in South Korea last year, according to the country's Health Ministry. Actual numbers may be much higher, since the criminalization of the practice distorted reporting of it.