Gyeonggi Special Judicial Police Conduct Intensive Crackdown on Illegal Activities Involving Herbal Medicine and Medical Devices

Poster Announcing Intensive Crackdown on Illegal Activities in the Distribution Management of Herbal Medicine and Medical Devices by the Gyeonggi-do Special Judicial Police for Public Welfare

Gyeonggi Province is cracking down on illegal activities targeting approximately 360 herbal medicine handling and medical device businesses within the province.

The Gyeonggi Province Special Judicial Police for Public Welfare announced on the 16th that from the 23rd of this month until the 3rd of next month, it will conduct intensive inspections on 360 herbal medicine handling establishments and medical device sales businesses in the province for illegal and substandard herbal medicine manufacturing and distribution, as well as false and exaggerated advertising of medical devices.

The main targets of the crackdown include ▲ unqualified persons preparing herbal medicine ▲ selling or storing and displaying medicines past their expiration date for sale purposes ▲ false or exaggerated advertising regarding the efficacy and effects of medical devices ▲ advertisements that mislead consumers into thinking non-medical products are medical devices.

According to the current Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, unqualified persons preparing herbal medicine can face imprisonment of up to 5 years or a fine of up to 50 million KRW, and selling or storing and displaying expired medicines for sale purposes can result in imprisonment of up to 1 year or a fine of up to 10 million KRW.

Additionally, under the Medical Device Act, false or exaggerated advertising of medical devices or advertisements that mislead consumers into thinking non-medical products are medical devices can result in imprisonment of up to 3 years or a fine of up to 30 million KRW.

Hong Eun-gi, head of the Gyeonggi Province Special Judicial Police for Public Welfare, stated, "Through the management and crackdown on the distribution of herbal medicines and medical devices, we will do our best to preemptively block factors that threaten the health of residents and create a safe environment where residents can trust and consume with confidence."

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