Herbal Medicine Side Effects as Recovery Process? Acupuncturist Who Deceived Cancer Patients Sentenced to Prison... "Far from Principles of Hanbang Medicine"

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[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] #. In 2014, cancer patient Mr. B was undergoing treatment in the United States, spending billions of won on medical expenses. Desperate to save her child, Mr. B’s mother heard about traditional Korean medicine cancer treatment and sought out Korean medicine doctor Mr. A. Mr. A confidently claimed, "Hospital chemotherapy is poison and is killing your son. You must stop everything and take the medicine I provide." He also said, "If there is diarrhea or vomiting, it means the poison is being expelled; symptoms that look bad are actually part of the recovery process." Mr. A promised, "If you take the medicine I prepare for just one month, you will be moved to tears and grateful," but Mr. B passed away just three days after starting the medicine.

A Korean medicine doctor who deceived terminal cancer patients in desperate situations by claiming that cancer could be cured with a 'special medicine,' some of whom died as a result, was sentenced to prison. The Supreme Court ruled that his treatment method was far from the principles of Korean medicine and could not be considered a medical practice within the scope of a Korean medicine doctor’s license.

According to the legal community on the 22nd, the Supreme Court’s Third Division (Presiding Justice Lee Dongwon) recently upheld the lower court’s ruling sentencing Korean medicine doctor Mr. A to four years in prison and a fine of 10 million won on charges of fraud, violation of the Medical Service Act, and violation of the Special Act on the Control of Health Crimes (illegal medical practitioner).

Mr. A was indicted on charges of deceiving cancer patients by claiming to have developed a special medicine to treat terminal cancer between 2014 and 2015 and selling toxic medicinal herbs. He claimed, "Using the special medicine, you can expel pus lumps through bowel movements," and earned hundreds of millions of won by selling the medicine. However, investigations revealed that the prescribed medicine did not destroy cancer cells but rather contained toxic substances.

Additionally, at the time, Mr. A’s Korean medicine license had been revoked, and some cancer patients who received his treatment experienced worsening conditions leading to death.

In court, Mr. A’s defense argued, "Most medicinal herbs used in both Korean and Western medicine have some degree of toxicity," and "The detection of some toxic substances in the prescribed medicine does not necessarily mean it is ineffective for cancer patients." They also claimed, "Treating patients while the Korean medicine license was revoked was merely an act of helping when their health was critical and is not illegal."

The first trial court sentenced him to four years in prison and a fine of 10 million won, stating, "He exploited the desperate hearts of families who wanted to grasp at straws for cancer treatment and deceived victims with irrational methods." The court added, "He misled patients into believing side effects from the medicine were part of the cancer healing process, preventing them from receiving hospital treatment, which resulted in the deceased not receiving appropriate care."

Mr. A appealed the first trial verdict, but the second trial court upheld the same sentence.

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

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