A family medicine doctor caught up in a damage suit for helping a patient who experienced an anaphylactic shock after receiving bee sting treatment at an oriental clinic was found not liable at an appeals court.

On Friday, the Incheon Division of the Seoul High Court dismissed all appeals against the family medicine doctor who provided first aid for the patient who died after receiving bee sting treatment in the appeals trial of a damages lawsuit filed by the bereaved family.

The court also ordered the oriental doctor who administered the acupuncture to compensate about 540 million won ($416,000), up 70 million won from the lower court ruling.

"This court orders the oriental doctor to pay 239 million won to the spouse of the deceased, and 150 million won to the parents of the deceased plus overdue interest," it said. “Appeals against the family medicine doctor are dismissed in its entirety.”

The deceased patient fell into anaphylactic shock after undergoing acupuncture at an oriental clinic in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, on May 15, 2018, but died of brain death on June 6 of the same year. The oriental doctor who performed the procedure was charged with professional negligence resulting in death, and sentenced to 10 months in prison, suspended for two years in 2020.

However, the bereaved family later filed a civil lawsuit against not only the oriental but also the family medicine doctor who helped the patient and demanded damages. In February 2020, a civil court ordered the oriental doctor to pay 471.8 million won in compensation while ruling that the family medicine doctor was deemed "not liable for compensation.”

The bereft family appealed the decision, but the court dismissed the claim against the family medicine doctor. The family was also ordered to pay all legal fees against the family medicine doctor.