Illegal Mask Distribution Gang Exploiting COVID-19, Found Guilty in First Trial

Seoul Central District Court / Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-seop] The court has sentenced a group who took advantage of the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) to purchase a large quantity of masks that could not be distributed domestically and supplied them to the market.

According to the legal community on the 15th, Judge Lee Ki-hong of the Criminal Division 24 at the Seoul Central District Court sentenced mask wholesaler A, who was indicted for violating the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, to a fine of 8 million won yesterday. Six others, including broker B, who were indicted together, were each sentenced to 4 to 6 months in prison with a 2-year probation. The court pointed out, "The defendants' sequential contact and connection acts constitute tacit collusion to distribute illegal masks," and added, "Even if they claim they did not recognize it as illegal, they at least implicitly acknowledged and tolerated the illegal transactions."

A and others were prosecuted on charges of obtaining illicit profits ranging from 7 million won to 82 million won as referral fees during the distribution of 200,000 illegal masks in February last year when COVID-19 was spreading. A is also charged with supplying illegal masks to B and issuing no tax invoices.

According to the prosecution, they committed these crimes with the intention of pocketing large commissions despite knowing that the masks could not be distributed domestically because they lacked any of the information required by the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act. During the distribution process, so-called "bulk" masks were repackaged into packaging and disguised as health masks approved as quasi-drugs. The illegally distributed masks were sold to the National Disaster Relief Association and reportedly delivered as relief supplies to local governments and others.

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