[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] A business operator who purchased discarded defective masks, repackaged them as new products, and supplied them to distribution companies was sentenced to prison.
Judge Cho Guk-in of the Seoul Eastern District Court Criminal Division 9 sentenced Jeong Mo (48), who was indicted for violating the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, to 1 year and 6 months in prison.
Moon Mo (50), also indicted on the same charges, was sentenced to 1 year in prison with a 2-year probation and 200 hours of community service, while Kwon Mo (41) was sentenced to 10 months in prison with a 2-year probation and 160 hours of community service.
They were indicted for purchasing 650,000 defective masks from a waste disposal contractor last February, conspiring with a packaging company to repackage them as normal products. Some of these were also supplied to sales companies.
It was investigated that the discarded masks they manufactured or sold amounted to about 52,000 pieces. However, it has not been confirmed whether the defective masks distributed were recalled.
The court explained the sentencing reason, stating, "The crime is serious as it exploited the severe situation where the supply of health masks became a social issue due to the COVID-19 mask shortage. They admitted all charges and showed remorse, and efforts to prevent further damage were considered, such as recalling some of the supplied discarded masks and disposing of them along with the stored discarded masks."
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