60-Year-Old Sentenced to Prison for Defrauding Terminal Cancer Patient of 30 Million Won with False Promise of "Miracle Cure"

A man in his 60s has been sentenced to prison for swindling 30 million won out of a terminal kidney cancer patient by falsely promising to obtain a "miracle cure" from the United States.

According to legal circles on July 3, Judge Song Han-do of the Seoul Southern District Court sentenced the defendant, surnamed Park, to one year in prison on June 24 after he was charged with fraud.

In October 2023, Park approached the victim, identified as A, who was suffering from terminal kidney cancer.

Park demanded money, claiming, "My nephew, who had liver cancer, was cured after taking a three-month supply of a miracle drug from the U.S. that cost 100 million won. Now that the price has dropped, I can get it for 30 million won."

He targeted the victim, who was in a desperate situation as the cancer had already spread to his lungs.

Although A handed over the money, the drug, which was promised to arrive within a week, never appeared.

In reality, Park did not even have a nephew who had suffered from liver cancer.

A repeatedly requested a refund, but never received the money back and eventually passed away.

During the trial, Park claimed that he "did not even know A had cancer," arguing that he had merely borrowed the money for a screen fishing business and had never promised to obtain any medication.

However, Judge Song rejected these claims based on the evidence presented.

Park had a prior criminal record, having been sentenced to five months in prison for a previous fraud case.

"The victim, in a desperate situation, handed over a large sum of money as a last resort, but the defendant ignored his calls and simply avoided the situation, and the victim eventually met his death," Judge Song said, explaining the reasoning for the sentencing.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
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