A dental clinic in Sejong City suddenly closed without refunding customers the expenses they prepaid for treatment. The victims filed a group complaint with police.
According to the Sejong Nambu Police Station on the 26th, police received 12 complaints that day accusing Dental Clinic A in Sejong City of fraud and breach of trust, and began verifying the facts.
Starting last week, the clinic told visiting customers that treatment would be difficult due to the director's personal circumstances. Then on the 25th, it reportedly posted a sudden notice on the door saying treatment was suspended.
The notice said, "If you prepaid treatment fees and your treatment has not yet been completed, please contact us and we will inform you about compensation and the next steps," and listed the contact information for a law firm's office.
Customers who came to the clinic after hearing the news said the clinic not only failed to give advance notice of the closure or refund the procedure expenses, but also guided them as if it would continue normal operations.
So far, at least about 40 people have been identified as victims. The amount prepaid per person is said to range from as little as 2 million won to as much as 30 million won.
With many victims yet to file complaints, the scale of damage is expected to grow. Police said they plan to launch a full-fledged investigation soon.
As citizen reports continued, health authorities also began looking into the circumstances. A Sejong City Public Health Center official said, "We only heard that it is closing temporarily due to the director's hospitalization, and no closure application has been filed so far," and added, "We plan to determine whether there is any possibility of violating the Medical Service Act, but we have not been able to reach the clinic yet."