"There Is No Incurable Disease": Man in His 70s Sentenced to 2 Years and 4 Months for Performing 48cm Acupuncture on Seriously Ill Patients

Illegally Collected About 20 Million Won in Medical Fees from Patients
Six Prior Convictions for Similar Offenses

A man in his 70s has been sentenced to prison for performing acupuncture on hundreds of patients without a Korean medicine doctor's license.

Court image. Photo by Asia Economy DB

On August 29, the Jeju District Court's Criminal Division 2 (Presiding Judge Bae Gumin) sentenced a man in his 70s, referred to as A, who was indicted and detained on charges of violating the Special Act on the Control of Health Crimes (unlicensed medical practice), to two years and four months in prison, a fine of 5 million won, and ordered the forfeiture of 22.4 million won.

Additionally, a woman in her 70s, referred to as B, who was indicted for aiding and abetting A's crimes, was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for one year, and a fine of 500,000 won.

From 2022 through the first half of this year, A traveled across the country, including Jeju, Seoul, Busan, and Daegu, and is accused of performing acupuncture on approximately 120 patients suffering from various diseases such as dementia and cancer, without a Korean medicine doctor's license, over a period of about four years.

Investigations revealed that A deceived seriously ill patients by claiming, "I can cure anyone who has never been able to recover from an illness in their life," and "There is no such thing as an incurable disease." He charged about five times more than regular Korean medicine clinics, pocketing approximately 20 million won in illicit gains.

A also sent patients home with needles still inserted during acupuncture procedures, and used 48-centimeter-long needles not used in legitimate Korean medicine clinics. As a result, some patients suffered severe side effects such as abdominal pain and inflammation.

It was confirmed that A had previously been punished for violating medical laws, yet continued to engage in illegal medical practices using the same methods.

The court explained the sentencing, stating, "In A's case, the repeated nature of similar offenses was considered, while in B's case, the absence of a prior criminal record was taken into account."