A broker surnamed Yang, suspected of soliciting approval for a new drug through Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won, arrives for a trial hearing on bribery charges at the Seoul Western District Court in Mapo-gu, Seoul, on September 15.
A broker surnamed Yang, a key figure in allegations involving requests made to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) for a new COVID-19 treatment through Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won, was previously caught by the MFDS for false advertising while running a cosmetics business.
In 2014, Yang founded Gusta, a distributor and seller of feminine care and cosmetic products.
According to the office of Representative Han Ji-ah of the People Power Party, the MFDS caught Gusta Co., Ltd., operated by Yang, for false advertising in November 2020 and issued an advertising suspension against the company in February 2021.
The sanction was imposed because Yang falsely advertised two products—"Pielsana Fine Spring Day Nourishing Hand Cream" and "Inner Pink Pure Foam Cleanser"—as if they possessed medicinal benefits.
Specifically, the MFDS determined that Yang advertised the cleanser on social media as having "antibacterial properties" without substantiating evidence and falsely promoted the hand cream as being "effective for inflammation," misleading consumers to mistake it for a pharmaceutical product.
At the time, the products were also sold at military commissaries (PX stores), and Yang was reported by some media outlets to have made...
A broker surnamed Yang, suspected of soliciting approval for a new drug through Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won, arrives for a trial hearing on bribery charges at the Seoul Western Distric...