Newborns are helpless, and their parents sometimes have to place their trust in the hands of others. For parents of babies who need medical care, the level of trust is even higher. So to find out that the NICU nurse in charge of your child’s care isn’t doing that would be devastating.
Now, a Korean hospital has issued an apology after one of its nurses decided to mock the babies in her care. Her mocking made the rounds on social media, causing a firestorm.
“I sincerely apologize for the deep concern caused by the inappropriate conduct of a nurse in our NICU,” Kim Yoon-young, the president of Daegu Catholic University Medical Center, said in a video statement shared by Korea JoongAng Daily. “In particular, I offer my heartfelt apologies to the parents who entrusted us with caring for their precious children and have been deeply hurt and shocked by this incident.”
The nurse allegedly uploaded photos of the babies to her personal social media account. To accompany the pictures, she added inappropriate captions.
“It has been verified that the nurse posted photos of newborns with improper comments,” Kim confirmed. “All members of our hospital staff feel a deep sense of responsibility. Such behavior cannot be justified under any circumstances.”
In some of the photos, the former NICU nurse was holding newborns in her arms or her lap. Some of the captions include “I’m itching to let one fall,” as well as “My anger issues are rising.” Alongside a closeup of a baby’s face, she wrote “What time is it? Please just sleep already.”
According to the news outlet, her posts began circulating in parenting communities online on April 1, 2025. Many called out how inappropriate her behavior was. Now, the father of one of the infants has filed a complaint against both the nurse and hospital. The Daegu Metropolitan Police Agency is investigating the case. Hospital officials confirmed that the nurse has been fired, and it is working with authorities on the case.
“We understand the pain and shock this has caused to parents and the public, and we will do our utmost to address it,” Kim said.
