An oriental medicine doctor who pocketed tens of millions of won in return for issuing "fake medical certificates" to 300 reservists to delay their training has been indicted and detained.
The Criminal Division 4 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Director General Lee Sang-hoon) said on the 3rd that it indicted and detained an oriental medicine doctor, A, 41, on charges of drafting and using false medical certificates, violating the Medical Service Act, and obstructing the performance of official duties by deceit.
The 300 reservists who postponed their training using false certificates issued by A were also brought to trial on charges including drafting and using false medical certificates and violating the Reserve Forces Act.
According to prosecutors, A, who runs an oriental medicine clinic in Guro-gu, Seoul, is accused of falsely issuing a total of 1,430 medical records and certificates to 300 reservists via KakaoTalk and other means from June 2022 to December last year.
The money A received for issuing fake certificates was 30,000 won per document. A mainly wrote diagnoses equivalent to a three-week recovery period, such as "sprain of other and unspecified parts of the lumbar region and pelvis." The total amount A earned from the fake certificates was 42 million won.
The number of reservists who bought false certificates from A reached 300. The total number of training sessions they postponed with the false certificates was 1,984. Of the 300 who were indicted, 95 repeatedly delayed training using false certificates through the eighth year, when reserve duty ends. They ultimately completed their service without receiving training.
The Seoul Suseo Police Station, which previously investigated the case, referred A to prosecutors on charges of drafting false medical certificates. Through a supplementary investigation, prosecutors confirmed that A also fabricated medical records and actively participated in the deferral process by submitting false certificates to local reserve units on the reservists' behalf, and directly detained A.
A prosecution official said, "We will sternly crack down on crimes that cause a sense of relative deprivation and lower morale among members who faithfully fulfill their duties."