Woman in Her 30s Gets Suspended Sentence for Forging Medical Record Request Over COVID Suspicion of University Alum

A woman in her 30s who forged documents to be submitted to a hospital in order to access the medical records of a fellow university alum she suspected had tested positive for COVID-19 has received a suspended prison sentence.
According to the legal community on the 9th, the Criminal Division 11 Single-Judge Panel of the Seoul Southern District Court, presided over by Judge Jung Sung-hwa of the Seoul Southern District Court, sentenced a woman in her 30s surnamed Kim to 10 months in prison, suspended for two years, and placed her on probation on charges of forgery of private documents and use of forged private documents.
Kim was brought to trial on charges of forging, on March 4, 2024, a medical record access form, consent form for issuance of copies, and power of attorney in the name of a university alum surnamed Ahn, and then using them to obtain Ahn’s medical records.
Kim had argued with Ahn after suspecting that Ahn had attended a school event while concealing a positive COVID-19 test result. She then became angry when Ahn criticized her in a group social media chat room and, in retaliation, committed the offense, according to the court’s findings.
In the course of the forgery, Kim filled in Ahn’s name, contact information, date of birth, and address, and affixed a fabricated seal. She was caught the same day when she tried to submit the forged documents to a hospital in Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul.
During the trial, Kim claimed that “Ahn personally filled out the documents and handed them to me in Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul, on the morning of March 2.” However, investigations showed that at that time Ahn was in Gangnam District, Seoul. Kim later changed her statement, saying, “In fact, I received them on March 4,” but this also turned out to be false.
“There is no evidence whatsoever to acknowledge that Kim met Ahn at the times she claims, or that Ahn personally prepared and handed over the documents,” the court stated.
As for the sentencing, the court noted, “The nature of the offense is serious, and in light of her attitude during the investigation, Kim needs to engage in sincere self-reflection.” The court added, “We also took into account that she has not been forgiven by Ahn and that she has two prior records of suspended fines for different types of offenses.”
psh@fnnews.com Park Sung-hyun Reporter