Genencell founder sentenced to four years in prison for clinical trial bribery

A Seoul High Court has sentenced Professor Kang, the founder of Genencell, to four years in prison and a 40 million won fine for breach of trust and related charges. The ruling resulted in Kang's immediate detention in court.

Kang was found guilty of submitting falsified data—including omitting side effects and misreporting hamster experiment results—to obtain patents and clinical trial approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety during the development of a COVID-19 drug.

Notably, the appellate court overturned a previous acquittal regarding the concealment of criminal proceeds. The court ruled that the 600 million won paid to a broker, Yang, was indeed a bribe intended to solicit clinical trial approval through lawmaker Kim Seung-won. The court determined that the payment was disguised as a legitimate investment through convertible bond acquisitions to hide its true purpose.