South Korea finds medical professor guilty of advertising ”100% COVID-19 prevention with this card”

A medical professor has been found guilty of creating, promoting and distributing so-called "vaccine cards" that he claimed were effective in preventing and treating the COVID-19 virus.
According to the Korean legal community on the 29th, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office announced that Yonsei University Wonju, who was indicted on charges of violating the Medical Device Act,
Professor Kim Hyung-won (67) of the medical school was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for two years. Professor Kim committed crimes against the government from November 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic began, to April 2022.
The company was put on trial on suspicion of providing card-type medical devices to an unspecified number of people that had not been approved or certified by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and advertising their efficacy.
At the time, Professor Kim provided a business card-sized card that he had developed as an appendix to the book, stating, "It can prevent COVID-19 and identify infected and uninfected people.
"It is registered as a general medicine with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)," and "Its efficacy has been fully verified through Phase II trials. It is 100% effective."
Professor Kim also filed a patent claim for the card, claiming that it is a "digitized print of the vibrations of a COVID-19 treatment mixture."
The pastor of the Yoido Full Gospel Church was planning to distribute the cards during a service, but he caused controversy by advertising them as "emitting wavelengths that block and kill viruses," and distribution was then halted.
Professor Kim argued in court that the card was not a medical device and therefore he was not subject to punishment. However, the court ruled that the contents of Professor Kim's advertisements, the claims written on the card, and the contents of the patent were inappropriate.
Considering these factors, the court found it appropriate to consider it a medical device as stipulated in the Medical Device Act. The court stated, "There is a high concern that the device could cause harm to the lives, health, and welfare of the public, and there is a need to impose strict punishment.
"Despite having been punished for a similar crime before, he committed this crime again, and it is questionable whether he has any remorse," the court ruled.
Prior to this, Professor Kim sold manufacturing equipment and other items in 2010, claiming that the "life water" he developed could strengthen the immune system and treat diseases such as cancer.
He was indicted on charges of violating the Medical Device Act and other charges, and was sentenced to a fine of 20 million won (approximately 2.3 million yen).