Court Suspends Prison Sentence for Group Reprocessing Used Masks

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] A group indicted for attempting to redistribute discarded masks by reprocessing them has been sentenced to prison with a suspended sentence.

On the 21st, according to the legal community, Judge Kim Hyung-tae of the Daegu District Court Criminal Division 3 sentenced A (48), who was indicted for violating the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, to 1 year and 6 months in prison with a 2-year suspension, and B (49) to 8 months in prison with a 2-year suspension. Additionally, C (41), who participated in their crime, was sentenced to a fine of 3 million won with a 1-year suspension. The court criticized, "The crime was committed to gain economic profit from discarded masks during a mask shortage, and if the reprocessed masks had been distributed, there was a concern that public hygiene and health could be harmed, so the culpability is not light." However, the court explained the sentencing by considering that "the masks were seized before distribution and the defendants showed remorse."

They were prosecuted for conspiring to purchase discarded masks, reprocess them, and sell them as normal products. In February, they bought about 180,000 masks and made 20,400 health masks classified as quasi-drugs by attaching ear bands and other methods.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.