Decision to Hold Ethics Committee Meeting and Request Ministry of Health and Welfare
On the 14th, the Korea Pharmaceutical Association's Pharmacist Ethics Committee is conducting a hearing procedure regarding pharmacist A, who caused controversy by selling masks at 50,000 won each and refusing refunds. (Photo by Korea Pharmaceutical Association)
[Asia Economy Reporter Chunhee Lee] The Pharmacist Ethics Committee of the Korea Pharmaceutical Association has decided to request the Ministry of Health and Welfare to revoke the pharmacist license of pharmacist A, who caused controversy by selling masks at 50,000 won per piece and refusing refunds.
The Ethics Committee announced on the 17th that it held a hearing procedure for A on the 14th and made this decision. The committee stated, "Although A was clearly aware that charging 50,000 won for one mask is not normal, he exploited the customer's mistake to gain profit and created complicated refund procedures, effectively deceiving customers." It added, "These numerous unreasonable acts make him unfit to perform the role of a pharmacy pharmacist who bears great responsibility for residents' health and require active treatment." Accordingly, based on media reports, investigations by local pharmaceutical associations, national petitions, and complaints received, the committee decided to request the Ministry of Health and Welfare to revoke the license under Article 79-2, Paragraph 1 of the Pharmacist Act, in accordance with the association’s bylaws, pharmacist ethics regulations, the Pharmacist Act, and related laws.
At the hearing, A repeated previous claims such as "The price was set at 50,000 won to reduce drug misuse and abuse" and "I did exactly as I learned from large corporations to expose their tyranny," but acknowledged causing social controversy, apologized, and promised not to operate the pharmacy for the time being.
Previously, in 2019, A was fined 5 million won for displaying a naked female mannequin’s lower body near an elementary school pharmacy and plastering the pharmacy front with unreasonable phrases related to drug and cyanide smuggling and sexually suggestive images. Regarding this, the Ethics Committee decided to request suspension of A’s pharmacist qualification until a medical judgment confirms normal pharmacist duties are possible, and requested the Ministry of Health and Welfare to take action. However, with no significant follow-up, only a suspension was imposed on the 15th, prompting the committee to urge the Ministry for swift and decisive response.
An Ethics Committee official explained, "The 2019 sentencing included A’s mental illness as a reason, and we carefully reviewed the fact that he is still receiving outpatient psychiatric treatment," adding, "A needs sufficient time to focus on treatment." The official also said, "License revocation is not permanent, and when the cause for revocation disappears, the license can be reissued according to Ministry of Health and Welfare regulations," emphasizing, "We requested license revocation until A can properly perform pharmacist duties."
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