"Using Special Medicine for Cancer Treatment"... Hanbang Doctors Convicted for Deceiving Cancer Patients Leading to Deaths

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] Acupuncturists who deceived terminal cancer patients by claiming they could cure cancer with 'special medicine' and caused some to die have been sentenced to prison.

On the 19th, the Supreme Court's 3rd Division (Presiding Justice Lee Dongwon) announced that it upheld the original sentences in the appeals trial of acupuncturists A and B, who were charged with fraud, violation of the Medical Service Act, and violation of the Special Act on the Control of Health Crimes (illegal medical practitioners), sentencing A to 4 years in prison and a fine of 10 million won, and B to 2 years in prison and a fine of 7 million won.

A and B were prosecuted on charges of deceiving cancer patients by claiming to have developed a special medicine to treat terminal cancer and selling toxic medicinal herbs. At the time, they told six patients, including C (then 23 years old), who had germ cell tumors, that "using the special medicine would expel pus lumps as stool," selling the medicine and collecting about 200 million won. However, investigations revealed that many of the treated patients' conditions worsened, resulting in death.

In particular, A's acupuncturist license had been revoked at the time, and the medicine he prescribed was found not only ineffective in destroying cancer cells but also contained toxic substances.

The first trial sentenced A to 4 years in prison and a fine of 10 million won, and B to 3 years in prison and a fine of 7 million won. The court at the time pointed out, "The defendants exploited the desperate hopes of families wanting to grasp at straws for cancer treatment by deceiving victims with irrational methods," and "They misled patients into believing side effects from the medicine were part of the cancer treatment process, preventing them from receiving hospital care, thus denying the deceased appropriate treatment."

The second trial maintained A's sentence but reduced B's sentence to 2 years in prison and a fine of 7 million won, considering B's acquittal on some fraud charges and settlements with some victims' families.

The Supreme Court also agreed with this judgment. The court stated, "The 'Hyeolmaek acupuncture therapy' used by the defendants involved injecting a large amount of medicinal fluid intravenously through an IV drip, which had no or minimal effect from traditional acupuncture," and "It is far from the principles of traditional Korean medicine and cannot be considered a medical practice within the scope of an acupuncturist's license."

Furthermore, the court dismissed the appeal, stating, "The lower court did not err in its legal interpretation regarding unlicensed medical practice as defined in Article 27 of the Medical Service Act and medical practices within the scope of an acupuncturist's license."

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